Obesity Research & Clinical Practice (2017) 11, 1—10 REVIEW The interface of depression and obesity Nattinee Jantaratnotai a,b,* , Kanokwan Mosikanon c , Yena Lee d , Roger S. McIntyre d a Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand b Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand c Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand d Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada Received 18 February 2016 ; received in revised form 3 June 2016; accepted 18 July 2016 KEYWORDS Obesity; Depression; Body weight; Body mass index; Antidepressant Summary Depression and obesity are both highly prevalent and are leading pub- lic health problems. These foregoing disorders independently have great impact on morbidity and mortality affecting patients’ health and well-being as well as on the socioeconomic aspect of functional impairment and healthcare expenditure. Results from epidemiological studies, clinical trials and recent meta-analyses support the association between mood disorders and obesity as both frequently co-occur in all races of populations examined. It is now well-established through longitudinal stud- ies that obesity is a risk factor for mood disorders and vice versa. In the current review, we aim to address the evidence regarding 4 questions: (1) does obesity moderate response to antidepressants among patients with depressive disorders?, (2) does the presence of depressive disorders moderate the progression or outcome of obesity?, (3) does treatment of obesity moderate outcomes among patients with depressive disorders?, and (4) does treatment of depressive disorders moderate out- comes of obesity? In order to improve the interpretability of the results we confined Abbreviations: ACTH, adrenocorticotrophic hormone; BDI, Beck Depression Inventory; BW, body weight; BMI, body mass index; CGI, Clinical Global Impression Scale; CRH, corticotropin-releasing hormone; CRP, C-reactive protein; DB, double-blinded; DM, diabetes mellitus; HAMD, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; HC, healthy control; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HPA, hypothalamic—pituitary—adrenal; IL, interleukin; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MADRS, Montgomery—Asberg Depression Rating Scale; MAOI, monoamine oxidase inhibitor; MDD, major depressive disorder; OL, open-label; PB, placebo control; RCT, randomized-controlled trial; SNRI, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; SQ, Symptom Questionnaire; SSRI, serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor; TCA, tricyclic antidepressant; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; WSAS, Work and Social Adjustment Scale. * Corresponding author at: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Fax: +66 23547157. E-mail address: nattinee.jan@mahidol.ac.th (N. Jantaratnotai). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2016.07.003 1871-403X/© 2016 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.