This project addresses an important knowledge gap at the intersection of psychiatric epidemiology, metabolic and clinical epidemiology, and the psychology of eating behaviour. Previous studies have largely relied on static self-reported measures of appetite or dietary intake, which do not capture the dynamic nature of appetite regulation.

In contrast, this project uses repeated assessments of subjective appetite sensations through Visual Analogue Scale questionnaires administered before and after a liquid mixed meal challenge, enabling detailed investigation of postprandial hunger and satiety trajectories. 

The NEO study provides a unique infrastructure for this research through the integration of meal challenge data, depressive symptom profiling, and extensive metabolic phenotyping. Conceptually, the project introduces dynamic appetite phenotyping into psychiatric epidemiology and adopts a symptom-level approach focused on atypical depressive features, aligning with emerging precision psychiatry approaches.  

Research objective

The central aim of the project is to determine whether depressive symptoms are linked to altered postprandial appetite responses and to better understand the mechanisms connecting depression, eating behaviour, obesity, and cardiometabolic dysfunction. 

Interdisciplinary approach

The project represents a genuine interdisciplinary collaboration between clinical epidemiology, endocrinology, and clinical psychology. By combining expertise across faculties, the initiative aims to establish sustainable collaborations, promote interdisciplinary training, and generate new insights into personalized prevention strategies linking mental health and metabolic health. 

• kiem grant

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