Women carry a higher genetic risk of depression, study finds
The research, published in Nature Communications, has found that women carry a higher genetic risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) than men, helping explain why depression affects nearly twice as many women worldwide, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Led by researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer (QIMR Berghofer) and a consortium of international collaborators, the study analyzed genetic data from more than half a million participants—130,471 women and 64,805 men diagnosed with MDD, along with nearly 300,000 controls.
By examining genetic variations across the genome separately for each sex, the team identified 16 significant genetic variants linked to depression in women and eight in men, including a novel variant on the X chromosome.
While most genetic variants influencing depression were shared between sexes, women showed a higher polygenicity, meaning more genetic variants collectively contribute to their risk. Researchers estimated that over 13,000 variants explain 90% of depression heritability in women, compared to roughly 7,000 in men.
The study found that genetic factors explained about 11.3% of the variation in depression risk in women and 9.2% in men. Even after accounting for environmental and diagnostic differences, women consistently showed a higher SNP-based heritability. SNPs, or single-nucleotide polymorphisms, are small variations in DNA that can influence how genes function and contribute to disease risk.
This means that while environmental stressors such as trauma, discrimination, or hormonal fluctuations play a major role, biological sex itself appears to shape how genetic predisposition translates into illness.
Importantly, the researchers found that many of the genetic variants linked to depression in men were also present in women, while women carried additional unique variants.
Beyond identifying genetic differences, the study uncovered intriguing links between female depression and metabolic health. Genetic correlations showed stronger overlap in women between depression and conditions such as higher body mass index (BMI) and metabolic syndrome, patterns not as evident in men.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that scientists discovered blood signature of chronic fatigue.
