Good Heart Health in Midlife May Protect Against Depressive Symptoms

FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Better cardiovascular health in midlife is associated with a lower risk for depressive symptoms over time, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Thomas T. van Sloten, M.D., from University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, and colleagues examined the association between cardiovascular health across midlife and depressive symptoms. The analysis included 6,980 patients with cardiovascular health assessments from 1990 to 1997 and screening for depressive symptoms through 2015.

The researchers found that higher baseline cardiovascular health in 1997 and improvement in cardiovascular health over seven years were each associated with a lower risk for depressive symptoms (odds ratio per additional metric at intermediate or ideal level at baseline, 0.87; odds ratio per one higher metric at intermediate or ideal level over seven years, 0.91). Similarly, better cardiovascular health was associated with a lower risk for unfavorable depressive symptom trajectories.

"In this prospective community-based cohort study of adults, higher cardiovascular health was associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms over time," the authors write. "Elucidating which set of cardiovascular factors may affect depression risk could be important for prevention."

One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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