The surprising connection between high blood sugar and depression and stress

Online citizenship – Arash Nahavandi: Some people suffer from chronic mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression more than others. When doctors identify who is most at risk and identify contributing factors, they are more likely to provide early treatment and achieve positive mental health outcomes.

According to Medical News Today, a study recently published in “JAMA Network Open” examined several biomarkers and their relationship with the risk of developing depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders.

In this study, researchers analyzed blood data from more than 200,000 participants. The participants did not have any mental disorders at the beginning. Almost 90% of the participants in this study were born in Sweden, and the average age of the participants at the first blood sampling was a little over 42 years.

Researchers measured participants’ blood sugar and a number of fat-related biomarkers, including cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol, and triglycerides. measured

The researchers followed the health status of the participants for an average of 21 years and examined the development of anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders, such as acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The researchers controlled for specific variables, including socioeconomic status, country of birth, fasting state at blood measurement, age at blood measurement, and gender.

During this study, 16,256 participants were diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or stress-related disorder, and 3,000 were diagnosed with only depression and anxiety. The average age of diagnosis was 60.5 years.

As a result of their research, they found that higher blood sugar and triglyceride levels were associated with an increased risk of mental illness 20 years before diagnosis. The researchers also found that having higher levels of “good” cholesterol seemed to protect people against mental illness.

Anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders are common forms of mental illness that can make it more difficult for people to progress in life and everyday situations. Many risk factors may play a role in people’s chances of developing these mental illnesses. The research team of this study stated that metabolic factors may play a role in increasing the level of anxiety and depression in people, and the aim of the mentioned research was to examine this relationship more closely.

This was an interesting study, said Alex Dimitriou, a psychiatrist and specialist in sleep medicine who was not involved in the research. High levels of glucose and triglycerides and low levels of HDL protein (good cholesterol) are associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety and stress disorders. These markers may also be a sign of elevated inflammation, which is also associated with mental health conditions.

As with all observational studies, causality cannot be determined in this study, said Dr. Cheng Han Chen, a cardiologist at Saddleback Memorial Kerr Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, who was not involved in the study. Individuals at risk for depression and anxiety may have underlying physiology that influences metabolic changes that cause elevated glucose and triglyceride levels. Results may also be confounded by characteristics such as obesity or physical inactivity, which may be associated with abnormal glucose or triglyceride levels, as well as risk of depression and anxiety. For now, these findings highlight the complex relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and mental health.

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