Nursing a broken heart isn’t easy, but when coupled with an actual heart disease, the results are near disastrous. According to a study published in the journal Psychophysiology, people who are depressed are likely candidates for cardiovascular disease. The study, led by Concordia University, is said to be the first to really crack the connection between the psychological state and cardiovascular health of a person. When the researchers discovered that depressed individuals have a slower recovery time after exercise than their counterparts, it set the study rolling in the right direction.
However, the mystery is still far from a closed case. According to Jennifer Gordon, first author of the study, there are two theories that link depression to poor heart health. "Depressed people may have poorer health behaviors, which may in turn lead to heart problems. The other possibility is physiological: a problem with the stress system known as the fight or flight response. Our study was the first to examine the role of a dysfunctional fight or flight response in depression in a large population."
To test both theories, the study recruited 886 participants with an average age of 60 years. Together with the Montreal Heart Institute, McGill University, the Hôpital Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, the Université du Québec à Montréal, and the University of Calgary, Concordia University diagnosed 5 percent of the participants with a major depressive disorder. After being put under a stress test, all of the subjects had their heart rates and blood pressure levels taken.
The study revealed that those who were diagnosed with depression had a slower recovery rate than the others. "Heart rate recovery from exercise is one way to measure the fight or flight stress response. The delayed ability to establish a normal heart rate in the depressed individuals indicates a dysfunctional stress response. We believe that this dysfunction, can contribute to their increased risk for heart disease," said senior author, Simon Bacon, a professor in the Concordia University Department of Exercise Science and a researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute.
To learn more about depression, check these out on FN:
- 5 Symptoms of Depression
- New Study: Supermoms Run Greater Risk of Depression
- The Stress Files: 10 Most Common Reasons for Fatigue
- Down to One: Depression Stories by Dr. Margarita Go-Singco Holmes
- 5 Ways to Check If a Friend is in a Depression Danger Zone
For tips on maintaining a healthy heart, try this:
(Photo by madaboutasia via Flickr Creative Commons)
