INS and major depressive disorder: Elevated cortisol increases insulin secretion, which in turn promotes the accumulation of abdominal fat.34 Longitudinal studies have shown that baseline depression is associated with increased abdominal and visceral fat 5 years later.35 A recent study of 58 healthy women assessed for depression and previous-day stress were given two high-fat meals and found those who experienced the most stressors had the lowest postprandial resting energy expenditure.36 We find that in individuals with MDD or high GHQ scores, the effect of BMI-increasing alleles on BMI is increased.