Analysis of the contribution of diet, exercise, and the gut on the onset and severity of unipolar depression and anxiety between the sexes

Hinks, Meagan E. (2022) Analysis of the contribution of diet, exercise, and the gut on the onset and severity of unipolar depression and anxiety between the sexes. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorder are two of the leading causes of global disease burden, with females being twice as likely as males to be diagnosed with the disorders. Despite this distinct sex-linked disparity of diagnosis, it is unclear what underlies the sex bias of these affective conditions. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether sex interacts with the lifestyle factors of diet and exercise to predict incidence of prior diagnosis, current treatment, and symptom severity of unipolar depression and anxiety disorder using the archival Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (PATH) database. For Experiments 2A through 2C, we used two mouse models of depression and healthy controls to assess the role of sex and the gut microbiome on the display of depressive-like behaviours. In Experiment 1, the expected two-fold increase in MDD and anxiety disorder diagnosis was found, and diet and exercise significantly predicted MDD and anxiety disorder prevalence and severity. For Experiments 2A through 2C, it was found that gut microbial transfer from females of both healthy and depression models was sufficient to induce depressive-like behaviours, and female gut contents from depression models was most effective at inducing behavioural changes in female recipients. Together, these findings begin to elucidate the factors contributing to the sex bias in affective disorders as well as identify future avenues for alternative treatments for these conditions.

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