Sex-Specific Association of Low Muscle Mass with Depression Status in Asymptomatic Adults: A Population-Based Study

• Published in: Brain sciences Vol. 14; no. 11; p. 1093
• Main Authors: Cho, Sung Joon, Jung, Sra, Lee, Mi-Yeon, Park, Chul Hyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 30-10-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Aging; Asymptomatic; Blood pressure; Body composition; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol; Epidemiology; Exercise; Gender differences; Hypertension; Medical screening; Mental depression; Mental health; Metabolism; Muscle strength; Musculoskeletal system; Physical fitness; Population studies; Questionnaires; Sarcopenia; Sexes; Stroke; Womens health; South Korea
• ISSN: 2076-3425; 2076-3425
• DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14111093

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between low muscle mass (LMM) and depression, with a specific focus on identifying the sex-specific relationship between LMM and depression in a large sample. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study involved 292,922 community-dwelling adults from 2012 to 2019. Measurements were taken using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CESD) scale and body composition analyses. Depression was defined as a CESD score ≥ 16, and severe depression as a CESD score ≥ 22. LMM was defined as an appendicular muscle mass/height2 below 7.0 kg/m2 in men and below 5.4 kg/m2 in women. Sex-based multivariable logistic regression analyzed the LMM–depression association, adjusting for confounders, with depression status and severe depression status as dependent variables. Results: Both men and women in the LMM group had an increased odds of depression (men, adjusted odds ratio = 1.13 [95% confidence interval = 1.03–1.12]; women, 1.07 [1.03–1.23]) and severe depression (men, 1.20 [1.05–1.36]; women, 1.10 [1.04–1.15]) compared to those in the control group. Men showed a stronger association between LMM and the presence of depression (p for interaction = 0.025) and the presence of severe depression (p for interaction = 0.025) compared to women. Conclusions: Decreased muscle mass was independently associated with increased chances of depression and severe depression in both sexes, with a significantly stronger association in men compared to women. This highlights the potential significance of LMM as a predictor of depression, particularly in men.