Walking could be a useful tool in treating depression

Something as simple as going for a brisk stroll could play an important role in fighting depression, according to researchers in Scotland. Vigorous exercise has already been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, but the effect of less strenuous activities was unclear. A study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity showed walking had a "large effect" on depression. One in 10 people may have depression at some point in their lives. The condition can be treated with drugs, but exercise is commonly prescribed by doctors for mild symptoms. Researchers at the University of Stirling scoured academic studies to find data on one of the mildest forms of exercise - walking. They found eight studies, on a total of 341 patients, which fitted the bill

IUPUI study first to look at early treatment of depression to reduce heart disease risk

Jesse Stewart, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and an Indiana University Center for Aging Research affiliated scientist, has received a $110,000 grant from the American Heart Association to explore whether treatment of depression before one experiences a heart attack can reduce the likelihood of future heart disease. The research study, Beating the Blues for Your Heart, which commences this spring, will be the first to evaluate whether pre-heart attack treatment of depression can reduce dysfunction in the arteries, thus lowering risk of heart disease in the future. Like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, depression is a risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death of American adults - EurekAlert

Study links older depression drugs to heart risk (UK)

"People who take a class of older anti-depressant drugs have an increased risk of heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, but the risk is not increased with newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). In a study of almost 15,000 people in Scotland, British researchers found that older so-called tricyclic anti-depressants, such as Norpramin made by Sanofi-Aventis, were linked with a 35 per cent increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. "Given that anti-depressants, such as SSRIs, are now prescribed not only for depression, but for a wide range of conditions such as back pain, headache, anxiety and sleeping problems, the risks associated with anti-depressants have increasing relevance to the general population," said Mark Hamer of University College London, who led the study. Hamer said that while the older class of drugs had largely been overtaken in the treatment of depression by newer SSRIs such as Eli Lilly's LLY.N Prozac or GlaxoSmithKline's GSK.L

Additional cardiac testing vital for patients with anxiety and depression (Canada

People affected by anxiety and depression should receive an additional cardiac test when undergoing diagnosis for potential heart problems, according to a new study from Concordia University, the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Montreal Heart Institute. As part of this study, published in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, a large sample of patients received a traditional electrocardiogram (ECG), where they were connected to electrodes as they exercised on a treadmill. Patients also received a more complex tomography imaging test, which required the injection of a radioactive dye into the bloodstream followed by a nuclear scan to assess whether blood flow to the heart was normal during exercise

Low cholesterol, depression linked (Netherlands)

"Low cholesterol levels may have a big downside: severe depression, scientists say. A study of 260 men from the Netherlands shows those with chronically low cholesterol readings are more likely to suffer symptoms of severe depression. The study appears in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Researchers divided the 40- to 70-year-old men into those who had low cholesterol and those who maintained a slightly more moderate level. The study shows the relative risk of having severe depressive symptoms was four to seven times higher in the men with chronically low cholesterol levels. Researchers found no difference, however, in the levels of hostility or impulsiveness in either group. Recent weight loss and lower calorie intake also are associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms, the researchers say. Dr. Diederick Grobbee, chairman of the Julius Center for Patient Oriented Research, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands, says there are few studies in this area. He adds because there is so little research, the reasons low cholesterol influences the depressive symptoms remain unknown"

Jingle Bells, Jangled Nerves

"It's as predictable as plastic reindeer, spinning dreidels, family visits, and overspending on gifts: holiday anxiety. And we shouldn't take it lightly. According to a paper published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the effects of psychological stress can weaken immune function and trigger inflammation, raising the risk of autoimmune disease, coronary artery disease, and depression"

Single-sex Cardiac Rehab helps depressed women (USA)

A motivational women-only cardiac rehabilitation program helped reduce symptoms of depression in women with coronary heart disease, a U.S. study has found. Depression, which is more common in female heart disease patients than in males, can interfere with adoption of lifestyle changes meant to improve health and willingness to attend cardiac rehabilitation. "Women often don't have the motivation to attend cardiac rehab, particularly if they're depressed," lead author Theresa Beckie, a professor at the University of South Florida's College of Nursing in Tampa, said in a news release from the American Heart Association" - The Palm Beach Post

Saskatchewan Chronic Disease Management Collaborative II (Canada)

"Saskatchewan residents with depression and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will soon be receiving better care as a result of a major learning program aimed at doctors and other health providers. The 18-month initiative, called the Saskatchewan Chronic Disease Management Collaborative II, will give health care professionals strategies for applying the best available medical evidence when treating these two chronic conditions. Participants will also learn how to redesign their scheduling systems to make it easier for patients to get appointments. Fifty-four primary care practices - involving 47 family doctors and 170 other care providers - are participating in the initiative, which is being led by the province's Health Quality Council"

Sleeping with your partner can be bad for your health - and your relationship, scientists have warned (UK)

Researchers found that sharing a bed often led to poor quality sleep because people were regularly disturbed by their loved ones during the night. They found that on average couples suffered up to 50 per cent more disturbances when sleeping with their partners than they did on their own. This often led to 'tension' in the relationship as well as health problems associated with lack of sleep, including heart disease and depression. Yet despite the detrimental effects of snoring, teeth grinding and tossing and turning, people tolerated it because culturally sleeping together is considered a sign of intimacy. To sleep separately is considered 'culturally wrong'. The scientists, speaking at a special seminar on sleep at the British Science Festival, said the answer was to speak to your partner before it led to poor health or divorce - Telegraph

Twin study examines links between depression and coronary artery disease

"Major depression and coronary artery disease are only modestly related throughout an individual's lifetime, but studying how the two interact over time and in twin pairs paints a more complex picture of the associations between the conditions, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. For example, the association between coronary artery disease onset and major depression risk is much stronger over time than vice versa. "While an association between major depression and coronary artery disease has long been noted and recently confirmed, the direction and cause of this association remain unclear," the authors write as background information in the article. High cortisol levels, inflammation and changes in blood platelet function associated with depression may increase risk for coronary artery disease; coronary artery disease is a stressful event that may increase risk for depression; and shared genetic or environmental factors may underlie both conditions" - redOrbit

New link between depression and heart disease (Canada)

Researchers have identified an enzyme that may trigger depressive symptoms in patients with heart disease and may help to explain why general antidepressants are often not as effective for these specific patients. "Our study confirms that depressive symptoms are associated with inflammation in patients with heart disease and suggests a mechanism by which the brain might be affected," says Walter Swardfager, lead author of a new study and PhD candidate in the Neuropsychopharmacology Research Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Canada

Why heart patients are more susceptible to depression

"An international team of researchers have identified certain genetic factors that might explain why individuals with heart disease are likely to suffer from depression. The team from The Miriam Hospital, The Montréal Heart Institute, University of Montréal and McGill University has discovered certain genes related to vascular system that might help predict depression in individuals with heart disease" - Newstrack

Depression after heart disease ups risk of heart failure

"Patients with heart disease who are subsequently diagnosed with depression are at greater risk for heart failure, a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body, according to a new study published in the April 21, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This study - the first to investigate the influence of depression after heart disease on the likelihood of developing HF - also found that taking antidepressant medications to ease depressive symptoms did not appear to mitigate this risk." - Physorg.com

Research links depression to cardiac death in women without known heart disease

New data published in the March 17, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggest that relatively healthy women with severe depression are at increased risk of cardiac events, including sudden cardiac death (SCD) and fatal coronary heart disease (CHD). Researchers found that much of the relationship between depressive symptoms and cardiac events was mediated by cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking - GEN

Depression dramatically raises risk of death from heart attack, stroke

"Doctors have long noticed that depression dramatically increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and death after a heart attack, but for years they have been lacking the pieces of the puzzle that would explain why. Now, researchers at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill., may be on the verge of filling in key pieces of that puzzle. In a study just published, the researchers find that depressed patients have higher levels of inflammatory substances in their blood. Inflammation is the process by which the body responds to infections, injuries or stress. The study was recently published in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry - Physorg.com

Inactivity a risk to depressed heart patients

"The main reason depressed heart disease patients are at higher risk for further heart trouble is because they exercise less and adopt other unhealthy habits, researchers said last week. In their study of 1,017 heart disease patients whose conditions were stable, the 20 percent who were depressed were at significantly higher risk of cardiovascular problems. Depression is about three times more common among heart attack patients than in the general population, and depression increases the risk of a second heart attack, earlier research showed."

Depression leads to internal fat in 70-somethings

"Older people who are depressed are much more likely to develop a dangerous type of internal body fat - the kind that can lead to diabetes and heart disease - than people who are not depressed, a disturbing new study found. The connection goes beyond obesity and suggests some biological link between a person's mental state and fat that collects around the internal organs, scientists said.'"For the depressed public, it should be another reason to take one's symptoms seriously and look for treatment,' said study co-author Stephen Kritchevsky, director of the Sticht Center on Aging at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. People with depression were twice as likely as others to gain visceral fat - the kind that surrounds internal organs and often shows up as belly fat. It raises the risk for heart disease and diabetes. The research is published in Archives of General Psychiatry"

Physical activity key to cardiovascular impact of depression

"For coronary heart disease patients, depression may be associated with worse outcomes, primarily because it tends to curtail physical activity, researchers found. Those cardiac patients who had symptoms of depression had a 31% higher rate of cardiovascular events, after controlling for comorbidities and disease severity (P=0.04), reported Mary A. Whooley, M.D., of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues in the November 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association" - MedPage Today

Check all heart patients for depression?

"Heart disease and depression are so common that all heart patients should be routinely screened for depression and referred for professional help if necessary, according to new recommendations issued by the American Heart Association. The recommendations were spurred by growing evidence suggesting that depression is common among cardiac patients and that the condition can worsen patients' outcomes, making them more vulnerable to continuing or recurrent heart problems. This is the Heart Association's first 'call to action' addressing cardiac patients and depression, says Erika Froelicher, RN, MPH, PHD, professor of nursing and epidemiology and statistics at the University of California, San Francisco and co-chair of the writing group that created the recommendations" - WebMD