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Body composition in psychotic disorders: a general population survey
S E Saarni1, S I Saarni, M Fogelholm
1National Public Health Institute, Department for Mental Health and Alcohol Research, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300 Helsinki, Finland. suoma.saarni@helsinki.fi
Psychological Medicine
|August 21, 2008
Summary
Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit unfavorable body composition, including abdominal obesity and low muscle mass, increasing their risk for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. This study highlights the importance of detailed body composition analysis in psychotic disorders.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Metabolic Health
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Obesity is linked to schizophrenia, but detailed body composition like fat and fat-free mass is underreported in psychotic disorders.
- Understanding body composition is crucial as it predicts mortality better than simple obesity measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the detailed body composition in individuals with various psychotic disorders.
- To compare body composition between schizophrenia patients and the general population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large, nationally representative sample of 8082 adult Finns.
- Collected anthropometric data including height, weight, waist circumference, fat percentage, and muscle mass.
- Diagnoses were confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and register data.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia was associated with obesity (OR 2.3), abdominal obesity (OR 2.2), and higher fat percentage (3.8% difference).
- Schizophrenia showed significant associations with low fat-free mass and decreased muscle mass after BMI adjustment.
- These associations persisted even after adjusting for medication, education, diet, and smoking.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with schizophrenia possess a metabolically unfavorable body composition.
- This includes abdominal obesity, high fat percentage, and low muscle mass.
- This composition increases the risk for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
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