For generations, people have been fascinated by the connection between mind and body. For example, do people really die of heartbreak? Does a healthy mind mean a healthy body? Scientists have been studying the link between mental and physical health for some time. One such link is that between depression and heart disease. Research shows that people with heart disease are more likely to suffer from depression than the general population.
In addition, among healthy people, those with worsening depressive symptoms were more likely to develop heart disease after years of follow-up than those without depression.
We also know that, in people with acute heart disease (eg, after a heart attack), depression is associated with an increased risk of further heart attack and death, not only from heart disease, but from any cause.
However, few studies have examined whether these trends are in the opposite direction—that is, whether cardiovascular risk factors are associated with a higher likelihood of developing depression. But a new study now published in the journal PLOS ONE attempts to test it.
what the researchers did
Sandra Martín-Peláez at the University of Granada in Spain and her colleagues focused on patients with metabolic syndrome to study the link between cardiovascular risk factors and depression in people aged 55 to 75.
Metabolic syndrome is a group of co-occurring conditions -- including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat around the waist and elevated cholesterol -- that increase a person's risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Some researchers have suggested that metabolic syndrome may also play a role in depression.
Participants in the study were drawn from a larger study that analyzed the effects of the Mediterranean diet in overweight or obese people with metabolic syndrome. Ongoing randomized study includes one group following a low-calorie Mediterranean diet and physical activity plan and the other following an unrestricted plan
There is no exercise program.
More than 6,500 participants participated in the baseline analysis of the PLOS ONE study, and more than 4,500 participants were followed up two years later. The researchers identified key risk factors for heart disease using the well-established Framingham Risk Score, which was developed by looking at healthy people over time. They classified the risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack over a 10-year period as low, moderate or high risk.
Participants were asked about their depressive symptoms at baseline (when they started following a diet and exercise program) and two years later.
