A dramatic rise in antidepressant prescriptions issued by GPs has been caused by a year on year increase in the number of people taking antidepressant drugs on a long-term basis, according to researchers from the University of Southampton.
In a paper, published in the printed edition of British Medical Journal (BMJ) tomorrow, scientists found that despite a drop in the number of new patients diagnosed with depression over 11 years, the number of prescriptions doubled.
“We estimate that more than 2 million people are now taking antidepressants long-term over several years, in particular women aged between 18 and 30,” comments Tony Kendrick, a professor in Primary Medical Care of the University’s School of Medicine, who led the study. Read the rest of this entry »
While previous studies have suggested drinking coffee can help preserve brain function, a new study concludes a cup of joe isn’t the solution.
According to Reuters, researchers at the University of Helsinki found no association between coffee consumption and declining cognition or dementia scores in either men or women.
They assessed the coffee drinking habits as well as other social, demographic and health data, of a large population of twin pairs who were 50 years old on average. The majority of subjects – 75 percent of men and 83 percent of women – reported drinking more than three cups of coffee a day. Read the rest of this entry »
The Mediterranean diet, already thought to protect against heart disease and cancer, may also help to prevent depression, Spanish researchers say.
They found depression was more than 30% less likely to develop in people who followed a diet high in vegetables, fruit and cereals, and low in red meat.
They studied 10,094 healthy adults over four years, the Journal of the American Medical Association reports.
However, the team stressed additional, larger-scale studies were required.
Researchers at the Universities of Las Palmas and Navarra recruited university graduates to take part. Read the rest of this entry »
Depression can damage a cancer patient’s chances of survival, a review of research suggests.
The University of British Columbia team said the finding emphasised the need to screen cancer patients carefully for signs of psychological distress.
The study, a review of 26 separate studies including 9,417 patients, features in the journal Cancer.
It found death rates were up to 25% higher in patients showing symptoms of depression. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by admin | Posted in Cancer | Posted on 14-09-2009
