I’m a 48-year-old-man, and I never thought I’d have a weight issue. Now I find myself with the old “spare tire.” Am I just vain, or is this a real problem?
Men often assume that putting on a few extra pounds around the middle is an inevitable and acceptable part of aging. But what may seem like simple weight gain, particularly in the belly area, may actually contribute to serious bouts of depression.
“There is clearly a relationship between weight gain, depression and low testosterone levels,” says Canyon Ranch Corporate Medical Director Mark Liponis, M.D. Dr. Liponis noted that overweight men produce increased levels of the so-called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a protein on which testosterone in the bloodstream “rides.”