Upfront

Drug double duty

Scientists have long suspected a link between insulin resistance — the body’s inability to process glucose efficiently, even with adequate insulin production in the pancreas — and mood disorders.

Now it appears that pioglitazone, a drug that makes the body more sensitive to insulin, also can help relieve symptoms of chronic depression. The more insulin-resistant patients are, the better the drug’s antidepressant effect. Stanford researchers described their findings in November in Psychiatry Research. The work was led by Natalie Rasgon, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

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