This may be related to the following factors, specifically, on one hand, females showed higher levels of inflammation (42) and obesity prevalence (43, 44); On the other hand, depressed women have higher leptin levels, which may be a key factor in the sex-specific association between BMI and DP (45); Similarly, the relationship between HSCRP and DP showed a gender difference. Here, LEP is linked to obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.