Scientists have studied the possible connection between the risk of cardiovascular diseases and depression

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Scientists have been studying the relationship between mental and physical health for a long time. One such association is depression and heart disease. Spanish scientists from the University of Granada decided to study whether cardiovascular risk factors are associated with a higher probability of developing depression.

The results of their work were published in the journal Plos One. The researchers focused on analyzing the health of people with metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that include high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and excess fat around the waist. These conditions increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

More than 6,500 participants were included in the study's baseline analysis. They all started following the Mediterranean diet, with one group simply following it, and the other also following a calorie restriction and physical activity program. Two years later, more than 4,500 participants were examined. A special scale was used to identify major risk factors for heart disease.

Participants were also asked about their depressive symptoms using questionnaires at baseline and then after two years. To their surprise, scientists did not find a significant relationship between the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression at the beginning of the study or after it, writes Science Alert. But the authors of the study found that at the beginning of the study, women with a higher cardiovascular risk most often showed symptoms of depression.

On average, the depression scores of all participants in the experiment decreased over two years. The most were those who had a low cardiovascular risk and those who were in the group that followed the calorie restriction and physical activity program. Thus, the scientists conclude, the research points to the prospects of studying not only the role of physical activity, but also the role of diet in the light of the fight against depression.