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Altered food liking in depression is driven by macronutrient composition
Lilly Thurn1, Corinna Schulz1,2, Diba Borgmann3
1Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Psychological Medicine
|February 5, 2025
Summary
Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) show altered food reward sensitivity, particularly for high-fat and high-protein foods, suggesting gut-brain signaling disturbances. These findings may inform novel therapeutic approaches for depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with appetite and body weight changes, alongside reduced reward sensitivity (anhedonia).
- The specific mechanisms driving altered reward sensitivity, especially concerning food, remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of food macronutrient composition in altered reward sensitivity in patients with MDD.
- To compare food wanting and liking ratings between individuals with MDD and healthy controls (HCPs).
Main Methods:
- A food cue reactivity task was administered to 117 participants (54 MDD patients, 63 HCPs).
- Participants rated their 'wanting' and 'liking' for various food and non-food items.
- Associations between reward ratings and food macronutrient composition (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Patients with MDD reported significantly lower food wanting, but not liking, compared to HCPs.
- Macronutrient composition significantly improved models predicting wanting and liking.
- MDD patients showed reduced liking and wanting for high-fat and high-protein foods compared to carbohydrates.
- Weaker correlations in food preferences were observed in MDD patients, suggesting metabolic signaling disturbances.
Conclusions:
- Depression-related alterations in food reward are specifically linked to macronutrient content, particularly fats and proteins.
- Findings suggest potential disturbances in gut-brain signaling pathways in MDD.
- Interventions targeting the gut microbiome could be a potential therapeutic avenue for normalizing aberrant food reward signals in depression.
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