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"

Leg artery narrowing may be clue to heart disease (Netherlands)

"A fifth of patients who have narrowing of the leg arteries also have narrowing of the arteries in the heart, but they don't know it, researchers said. In a randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands, 19% of patients with peripheral arterial disease also had coronary artery disease, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart Proenca, MD, PhD, of the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, said at the Radiological Society of North America meeting. "Peripheral arterial disease patients are known to be at increased risk of mortality due to heart disease, and our results confirm the importance of strict cardiovascular risk factor treatment in these patients," Proenca said. She explained that little is known about silent heart disease in patients with leg artery narrowing. However, new technologies, such as CT angiography, have made it easier to detect the extent of coronary artery disease in a noninvasive manner" - medpage