Metabolic syndrome linked to depression

People with a group of diabetes and heart disease risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome are more prone to depression.Previous studies have suggested a link between metabolic syndrome and depression, and diabetes is known to boost depression risk. However, no study to date has investigated the depression and metabolic syndrome link in the general population.To investigate this, researchers from Australia conducted three surveys among rural 25 to 84 years old, including 1,690 people in all. Of these subjects, 30 percent had the metabolic syndrome. It was found that 10 percent of people with the metabolic syndrome had moderate to severe depression compared with 7 percent of those without the metabolic syndrome. People with metabolic syndrome also had higher scores for depression, on average, than people without the syndrome.The researchers suggested that inflammation, which has been linked to depression and to metabolic syndrome, could be behind this relationship.Although the association is modest, it is important because of the increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the effect that depression can have on the ability of patients to successfully make lifestyle changes and comply with medication required for high blood pressure and abnormal lipid profile.

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