By Bahar Gholipour, Staff Writer

Published: 11/12/2013 08:18 AM EST on LiveScience


People suffering from depression may be aging faster than other people, according to a new study from the Netherlands.


In the study of about 1,900 people who had major depressive disorders at some point during their lives, along with 500 people who had not had depression, researchers measured the length of cell structures called telomeres, which are "caps" at the end of chromosomes that protect the DNA during cell division. Normally, telomeres shorten slightly each time cells divide, and their length is thought to be an index of a cell's aging[1] .


The researchers found telomeres were shorter in people who had experienced depression compared with people in the control group. This suggests cellular aging in people with depression is accelerated by several years, the researchers said.


The severity of a person's depression[2] , as well as a longer duration of symptoms were linked with shorter telomere length, and the results held after controlling for weight, smoking, drinking and several other factors that may contribute to aging, according to the study published today (Nov. 12) in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.


"Psychological distress, as experienced by depressed persons, has a large, detrimental impact on the 'wear and tear' of a person's body, resulting in accelerated biological aging," said study author Josine Verhoeven, a researcher at the Free University in Amsterdam.


"The findings might help explain the variety of health complaints often experienced by people with major depression," Verhoeven said. [8 Tips for Healthy Aging[3] ]



Studies have shown that people with depression are at increased risk for diseases that tend to come with aging — for example, dementia, cancer and type 2 diabetes — even when health and lifestyle factors are taken into account. This has raised the question whether depression accelerates aging.


The length of telomeres[4] is measured in terms of their number of DNA building blocks, called base pairs (bp). In the study, the telomeres in healthy people were about 5,540 bp long on average, whereas people with depression had telomeres about 5,460 bp long.


The study participants ranged in age from 18 to 65. In line with previous studies, the researchers found that with each year of age, telomeres shortened by 14 bp, on average.


The researchers showed an association, but not a cause-and-effect relationship between depression and shorter telomeres. It is possible that some other factor, such as a genetic vulnerability, underlies both, the researchers said.


It is also possible that telomere shortening is a consequence of impairment in the body's stress system.


"An important question remains whether this aging process can be reversed," the researchers said in their study. An enzyme called telomerase elongates telomeres by adding nucleotides to the end of chromosomes, and its possible that lifestyle changes could increase the activity of telomerase[5] , thereby lengthening telomeres, Verhoeven said.


"A healthy lifestyle, such as enough physical exercise, not smoking and a healthy diet, might be of even greater importance in depressed individuals than it is in the non-depressed," she said.


Email Bahar Gholipour or follow her @alterwired . Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.[6] [7]



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  • Summer Weather


    Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is most commonly associated with winter blues, and it afflicts about 5 percent of Americans.

    But for less than 1 percent of those people, this form of depression strikes in the summer. Warm weather depression arises when the body experiences a "delay adjusting to new seasons," says Alfred Lewy, MD, professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland.

    Instead of waking and enjoying dawn, the body has a hard time adjusting, he says, which could be due to imbalances in brain chemistry and the hormone melatonin.

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  • Smoking


    Smoking has long been linked with depression, though it's a chicken-or-egg scenario: People who are depression-prone may be more likely to take up the habit. However, nicotine is known to affect neurotransmitter activity in the brain, resulting in higher levels of dopamine and serotonin (which is also the mechanism of action for antidepressant drugs). This may explain the addictive nature of the drug, and the mood swings that come with withdrawal, as well as why depression is associated with smoking cessation. Avoiding cigarettes -- and staying smoke free -- could help balance your brain chemicals.




  • Thyroid Disease


    When the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone, it's known as hypothyroidism, and depression is one of its symptoms.

    This hormone is multifunctional, but one of its main tasks is to act as a neurotransmitter and regulate serotonin levels.

    If you experience new depression symptoms -- particularly along with cold sensitivity, constipation and fatigue -- a thyroid test couldn't hurt. Hypothyroidism is treatable with medication.




  • Poor Sleep Habits


    It's no surprise that sleep deprivation can lead to irritability, but it could also increase the risk of depression. A 2007 study found that when healthy participants were deprived of sleep, they had greater brain activity after viewing upsetting images than their well-rested counterparts, which is similar to the reaction that depressed patients have, noted one of the study authors. "If you don't sleep, you don't have time to replenish [brain cells], the brain stops functioning well, and one of the many factors that could lead to is depression," says Matthew Edlund, M.D., director of the Center for Circadian Medicine, in Sarasota, Fla., and author of "The Power of Rest."




  • Facebook Overload


    Spending too much time in chat rooms and on social-networking sites? A number of studies now suggest that this can be associated with depression, particularly in teens and preteens. <a href="http://news.health.com/2010/02/03/internet-addicts-more-prone-depression/" target="_hplink">Internet addicts</a> may struggle with real-life human interaction and a lack of companionship, and they may have an unrealistic view of the world. Some experts even call it "Facebook depression." In a 2010 study, researchers found that about 1.2 percent of people ages 16 to 51 spent an inordinate amount of time online, and that they had a higher rate of moderate to severe depression. However, the researchers noted that it is not clear if Internet overuse leads to depression or if depressed people are more likely to use the Internet.




  • End Of A TV Show Or Movie


    When something important comes to an end, like a TV show, movie, or a big home renovation, it can trigger depression in some people. In 2009, some "Avatar" fans reported feeling depressed and even suicidal because the movie's fictional world wasn't real. There was a similar reaction to the final installments of the Harry Potter movies. "People experience distress when they're watching primarily for companionship," said Emily Moyer-Gusé, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University, in Columbus. With "Avatar," Moyer-Gusé suspects people were "swept up in a narrative forgetting about real life and [their] own problems."




  • Where You Live


    You can endlessly debate whether city or country life is better. But research has found that people living in urban settings do have a 39 percent higher risk of mood disorders than those in rural regions.

    A 2011 study in the journal Nature offers an explanation for this trend: City dwellers have more activity in the part of the brain that regulates stress. And higher levels of stress could lead to psychotic disorders.

    Depression rates also vary by country and state. Some <a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20483493,00.html" target="_hplink">states have higher rates</a> of depression and affluent <a href="http://news.health.com/2011/07/25/depression-affluent-nations/" target="_hplink">nations having higher rates</a> than low-income nations.

    Even altitude may play a role, with <a href="http://news.health.com/2010/09/21/is-high-altitude-linked-to-suicide-risk/" target="_hplink">suicide risk</a> going up with altitude.




  • Too Many Choices


    The sheer number of options available -- whether it's face cream, breakfast cereal or appliances -- can be overwhelming. That's not a problem for shoppers who pick the first thing that meets their needs, according to some psychologists. However, some people respond to choice overload by maximizing, or exhaustively reviewing their options in the search for the very best item. Research suggests that this coping style is linked to perfectionism and depression.




  • Lack Of Fish In The Diet


    Low intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon and vegetable oils, may be associated with a greater risk of depression. A 2004 Finnish study found an association between eating less fish and depression in women, but not in men. These fatty acids regulate neurotransmitters like serotonin, which could explain the link. Fish oil supplements may work too; at least one study found they helped depression in people with bipolar disorder.




  • Poor Sibling Relationships


    Although unhappy relationships with anyone can cause depression, a 2007 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that men who didn't get along with their siblings before age 20 were more likely to be depressed later in life than those who did. Although it's not clear what's so significant about sibling relationships (the same wasn't true for relationships with parents), researchers suggest that they could help children develop the ability to relate with peers and socialize. Regardless of the reason, too much squabbling is associated with a greater risk of developing depression before age 50.




  • Birth Control Pills


    Like any medication, the pill can have side effects. Oral contraceptives contain a synthetic version of progesterone, which studies suggest can lead to depression in some women. "The reason is still unknown," says Hilda Hutcherson, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University, in New York. "It doesn't happen to everyone, but if women have a history of depression or are prone to depression, they have an increased chance of experiencing depression symptoms while taking birth control pills," Dr. Hutcherson says. "Some women just can't take the pill; that's when we start looking into alternative contraception, like a diaphragm, which doesn't contain hormones."




  • Rx Medications


    Depression is a side effect of many medications. For example, Accutane and its generic version (isotretinoin) are prescribed to clear up severe acne, but depression and suicidal thoughts are a potential risk for some people.

    Depression is a possible side effect for anxiety and insomnia drugs, including Valium and Xanax; Lopressor, prescribed to treat high blood pressure; cholesterol-lowering drugs including Lipitor; and Premarin for menopausal symptoms.

    Read the potential side effects when you take a new medication, and always check with your doctor to see if you might be at risk.

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    <a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20483493,00.html" target="_hplink">The Most Depressing States in the U.S.</a>

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