Body mass index is associated with the antidepressant effects of intravenous ketamine in patients with depression.
Jian-Qiang Tan, Li-Mei Gu, Yan-Ling Zhou, Cheng-Yu Wang, Xiao-Feng Lan, Wei Zheng, Yu-Ping Ning
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1498952 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Exploratory, post-hoc analysis of an open-label, single-arm clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 135 |
| Population | Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder or bipolar depression |
| Intervention | Intravenous ketamine |
| Duration | Six ketamine infusions |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Bipolar depression Body mass index Clinical trial Intravenous ketamine Response Ketamine infusion Bmi Mood disorders |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Patients with a higher baseline BMI experienced greater reductions in depressive symptoms after six ketamine infusions compared with those with a lower baseline BMI. |
Abstract
We aimed to explore the correlation between baseline body mass index (BMI) and the antidepressant properties of intravenous ketamine in patients with depression. We divided 135 patients diagnosed with either major depressive disorder (n=103) or bipolar depression (n=32) into lower and higher BMI groups based on their baseline BMI. Patients with a lower BMI (BMI0.05). The linear mixed models with covariates indicated a significant group-by-time interaction in the MADRS scores (F 13, 1729=3.0, P0.05). Our exploratory, post-hoc analysis of an open-label, single-arm study suggests that patients with depression and a higher baseline BMI may experience greater reductions in depressive symptoms compared with those with a lower baseline BMI after receiving six ketamine infusions.