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May 8, 2026NeuroImmunoModulationOpen Access

Depressive symptoms in obese individuals accompanied by greater basal inflammation but lower monocyte inflammatory responses to LPS: a quest to uncover immunologic links between depression and obesity

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Key result

Obesity linked to higher depressive symptoms and CRP but lower monocytic TNF production.

  • n=96

Why the study?

Knowledge of the underlying immune mechanisms linking obesity and depression remains limited despite their high co-occurrence.

Population

96 participants of a weight range (normal weight, overweight, or obesity)

Comparison

Obese or overweight individuals vs normal-weight subjects

Design

Cross-sectional study

Authors

SHSuzi HongU.S. National Science FoundationJKJordan KohnFujita Health University HospitalSDStoyan Dimitrov

Discussion

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Overview

Hypothesis-generating for inflammatory pathways in obesity-depression; leaves open targeted therapies pending randomized trials.**[[1]](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12416059/)[[2]](https://www.nature.

Key Points

  • This research aims to explore the relationship between depressive symptoms, obesity, and inflammatory responses.
  • Assess immune activities and depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in 96 participants.
  • Measure percent adiposity via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and plasma inflammatory markers by immunoassay.
  • Evaluate LPS-stimulated intracellular TNF in peripheral blood monocytes by flow cytometry after rTNF incubation.
  • Obese participants exhibited significantly higher BDI scores and CRP levels, but lower LPS-stimulated monocytic TNF production.
  • Depressive symptoms showed associations with BMI and body fat percentages, but associations lessened after adjusting for covariates.
  • Prolonged exposure to rTNF suppressed LPS-stimulated TNF production in monocytes, indicating complex immune responses.

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=96)

Structured PICO

P
Population
96 participants of a weight range (normal weight, overweight, or obesity)
C
Comparator
Normal-weight subjects
O
Outcome
Depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), plasma inflammatory markers (CRP, TNF, IL-1β, IL-6), and LPS-stimulated intracellular TNF in peripheral blood monocytessurrogate

Greater adiposity is associated with elevated depressive symptoms and basal inflammation, but lower monocyte reactivity to immune challenge.

Limitations

  • Inconclusive whether immunologic dysregulation underlies the depressive mood-adiposity association

Cite This Study

Hong et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Obesity and depressive symptoms (n=96). Obesity vs. Normal weight was evaluated on Depressive symptoms (BDI scores), plasma CRP, and LPS-stimulated monocytic TNF production. Obesity was associated with significantly higher depressive symptoms (P<0.05) and plasma CRP (P<0.01), but lower LPS-stimulated monocytic TNF production (P<0.01) compared to normal weight.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69fd7e23bfa21ec5bbf0655bhttps://doi.org/10.1159/000552352
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