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Killer moods
A study published in the January 1 2005 issue of the American Heart Association Journal, Stroke, found an association between greater depressive symptoms and the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in men, with stroke being the form of cardiovascular disease mortality experienced. Previous studied had produced conflicting findings concerning an association.

The current study evaluated a subset of 11,216 men who had completed a depression assessment near the end of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT), which recruited 12,866 men who were free of coronary heart disease but had increased risk factors, and followed them for 18 years.

The research team found that men who reported more depressive symptoms experienced a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality and stroke mortality, but not coronary heart disease mortality. Men whose number and frequency of depressive symptoms were ranked in the top one-fifth of participants experienced the strongest risks compared to those in the lowest one-fifth. The risk of dying of stroke was twice that for those whose depressive symptoms were in the top fifth of participants compared to the lowest fifth.

The authors note that the effect of depression on stroke mortality as determined by this study is greater than smoking or cholesterol. They write that the findings provide more evidence for a causal link between depression and death from stroke, and suggest that a reduction in depressive symptoms in people whose risk for coronary heart disease is above average could result in a corresponding decrease in future stroke mortality.

Depression
Hippocrates, the great Greek physician and Father of Medicine, said: "From the brain, and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter, and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs, and tears."

It's startling to learn that there are 15 trillion neurons (nerve cells) in the human brain. There are far more glial cells (neuroglia) that fill the spaces between the neurons, Schwann cells, and miles of blood vessels to nourish the three or so pounds of brain tissue in the average head.

Three pounds isn't much: only 2% of the body weight of a person weighing 150 pounds. Brain cells are hungry cells, demanding nourishment from as much as 30% of circulating blood. We used to think that the brain could somehow protect itself from nutrient deficiencies, but today we know that the brain requires specific nutrients. If the brain doesn't get them, its biochemistry changes, resulting in fatigue, depression, irritability, and other symptoms.

For example, the brain needs a good supply of B vitamins to act as coenzymes (catalysts) for many functions, including converting nutrients from food to fuel that our bodies can use. Glucose is the brain's primary fuel. If glucose levels fall, we may feel depressed, tired, or unable to think clearly.

B vitamins also are needed to help the brain make neurotransmitters, the "messengers" that enable brain cells to communicate with each other. Vitamin B6 is needed to manufacture serotonin, a neurotransmitter that produces feelings of well-being. Without proper supplies of vitamin B12, the brain could not make acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory. The B vitamin known as folate (folic acid) is needed to make an important group of mood-regulating chemicals called catecholamines, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (Bukreev 1978; Carney et al. 1990; Carney 1995; Fujii et al. 1996; Masuda et al. 1998; Bottiglieri et al. 2000; Zhao et al. 2001).

In many cases, depressed people with blood levels indicating that they lacked key nutrients respond quite well to supplements. Unfortunately, most physicians do not prescribe natural supplements to treat depression (Carney et al. 1990; Carney 1995).

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Life Extension Magazine January 2005 issue

If you have questions or comments concerning this issue or past issues of Life Extension Update, send them to ddye@lifeextension.com or call 954 766 8433 extension 7716.

For longer life,

Dayna Dye
Editor, Life Extension Update
ddye@lifeextension.com
LifeExtension.com
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954 766 8433 extension 7716

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