Does body fat protect against negative moods in women?

An examination of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and negative mood revealed an inverse relationship between BMI and negative mood symptoms (i.e., depression and negative affect scale scores) in women who were not taking oral contraceptives. The strength of the negative correlations between BMI and negative affect was uniformly higher on days of the menstrual cycle when estrogen levels are expected to be highest. Two interpretations are suggested. Given the positive relationship between estrogen levels and body fat, estrogen may have an effect on both body fat storage and negative affect. The cyclical release of estrogen may also have activational effects on negative affect. These findings have implications for common beliefs about the relationship between body size and emotional well-being, and provide converging evidence for the role of hormones in the regulation of mood. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.