Mild to severe depression might be better treated with alternatives to antidepressant drugs, which do not help patients much more than an inactive placebo, researchers said Tuesday.
Combining data from six studies that examined the effectiveness of two commonly prescribed antidepressants — paroxetine and imipramine — found the drugs produced benefits only slightly greater than a placebo in patients with mild to severe depression. Read the rest of this entry »
Teenagers when going to bed earlier protects against depression and suicidal thoughts, New York research suggests.
Of 15,500 12 to 18-year-olds studied, those who went to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went before 2200.
And those who slept fewer than five hours a night had a 71% higher risk of depression than those who slept eight hours, the journal Sleep reports. Read the rest of this entry »
Elderly people who drink several cups of green tea a day were less likely to suffer from depression, probably due to a “feel good” chemical found in this type of tea, Japanese researchers said.
Several studies have linked drinking green tea to lessening psychological problems and Dr Kaijun Niu, of Tohoku University Graduate School, and colleagues found men and women aged 70 and older who drank four or more cups of green tea daily were 44 per cent less likely to have symptoms of depression. Read the rest of this entry »
New research is suggesting that there is a link between depression and a loss of bone mass, which could lead to bone breakage and osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is more common among women than men, and is a condition that causes bones to weaken and possibly fracture, which is why some nutritionists recommend taking nutritional supplements such as vitamin D and calcium to keep bones strong. Read the rest of this entry »
A new study suggests that people who suffer from depression are also at risk for low bone mineral density.
The study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry pooled data from both depressed and non-depressed individuals compiled over the past 14 years.
It finds that those who suffer from depression had less dense bones and increased levels of bone resorption markers than those who did not suffer from the condition. Read the rest of this entry »
A study done from researchers in the UK found that an overall healthy diet comprising a high proportion of fruits, fish and vegetables, protected middle aged people against depression compared to a processed food diet containing a high proportion of high fat dairy food, processed meat, fried food, refined grains and sugar-laden desserts.
The study was the work of researchers based at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London (UCL), UK and the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), University of Montpellier, France, and is published in the November issue of the The British Journal of Psychiatry which is available online. Read the rest of this entry »
