Depression and glycemic intake in the homebound elderly

Background sion is associated with an increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, but the mechanism is unclear. We aimed to study the relationship between depression and glycemic intake in the elderly, and examine whether antidepressant use modified this relationship. , setting and participants luated 976 homebound elders in a cross-sectional study. Depression was defined by having a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) score ≥ 16. Antidepressant use was documented. Glycemic index (GI), Glycemic load (GL), and fasting blood insulin levels were measured. s sed elders had slightly higher GI (Mean ± SD: 55.8 ± 3.8 vs. 55.1 ± 3.7, P = 0.003) and higher insulin levels (Median: 84.0 vs. 74.4 pmol/ml, P = 0.05) than non-depressed elders. Depressed elders receiving antidepressants, primarily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), had lower GI (Mean ± SD: 55.1 ± 4.7 vs. 56.2 ± 3.4, P = 0.002) and GL (Median: 170.3 vs. 6826.3, P = 0.03) than those not taking antidepressants. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, GI remained positively associated with depression (β = + 0.65, SE = 0.28, P = 0.02); the logarithm of GL was positively associated with depression (β = + 0.33, SE = 0.17, P = 0.05) and negatively associated with antidepressant use (β = − 0.54, SE = 0.18, P = 0.003). sions ctive studies are needed to examine whether high glycemic intake is a mediating factor between late life depression and the risk of type 2 diabetes.