Women Possess Higher Genetic Vulnerability to Depression, Study Finds
(MENAFN) A groundbreaking Australian-led investigation has revealed that women possess a substantially higher genetic predisposition to depression than men, potentially reshaping future treatment approaches.
According to a statement released Wednesday by Australia’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, this study uncovers, for the first time, significant genetic disparities in how depression manifests between females and males. These findings could pave the way for more precise, gender-specific interventions.
Researchers identified roughly twice the number of genetic markers linked to depression in females compared to males. The team found around 7,000 DNA variations associated with depression in both sexes, alongside an additional 6,000 DNA changes exclusively linked to depression in females.
"We found some genetic differences that may help explain why females with depression more often experience metabolic symptoms, such as weight changes or altered energy levels," said QIMR Berghofer Researcher Jodi Thomas, lead author of the study published in Nature Communications.
The analysis incorporated DNA data from hundreds of thousands of individuals with and without depression, including approximately 130,000 women and 65,000 men diagnosed with the disorder. Further scrutiny confirmed the results’ reliability, ruling out sample size as a confounding factor.
"Depression looks very different from one person to another. Until now, there hasn't been much consistent research to explain why depression affects females and males differently, including the possible role of genetics," stated Brittany Mitchell, senior researcher at QIMR Berghofer’s Genetic Epidemiology Lab.
The study emphasizes the critical need to factor in sex-specific genetic influences when researching depression and other health issues, highlighting that most current drug trials and therapies predominantly focus on males.
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