A person with diabetes has an increased risk of depression but may be able to reduce it by addressing risk factors such as unhealthy eating and high blood pressure. This is according to research by scientists at Maastricht UMC+ and UMC Utrecht who analyzed data from nearly 78,000 people for this purpose.
Previous research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of severe depression later in life. This study, by physician-researcher April van Gennip of Maastricht UMC+, internist Dr. Thomas van Sloten of UMC Utrecht and Prof. Dr. Coen Stehouwer of Maastricht UMC+, now also suggests that this risk can be reduced with a good lifestyle and targeted treatment. The results were published in the renowned scientific journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity.
For this study, the researchers used data from nearly 78,000 participants from the UK Biobank, more than 9,000 of whom had type 2 diabetes. Because these data span an average of thirteen years, it was possible to correlate lifestyle factors and the onset of depression. The study was repeated with data from the Maastricht Study. In that study, the researchers found the same links.
The researchers looked at seven factors: blood sugar levels, blood pressure, obesity and diet, protein in urine, physical activity and, finally, smoking. For each factor, it was determined whether it met the (international) standards for being healthy and healthy living. In other words, whether the participant has them under control, for example, with a healthy weight, healthy diet, adequate exercise and no smoking. The researchers found that the more factors are under control, the lower the likelihood of severe depression or depressive symptoms.
Researcher and PhD candidate April van Gennip similarly examined diabetes, risk factors and likelihood of dementia. The results were similar: the more risk factors under control, the lower the risk of dementia later in life: “We have shown a link between lifestyle and risk of brain disease depression and dementia. We do not yet know how these factors cause or prevent brain damage, and what the effect is of directly addressing the risk factors. In follow-up research, we want to identify this further. At the same time, we can say that these results confirm the idea that it is never too late to improve lifestyle – even if someone already has type 2 diabetes.”
The Maastricht Study is a large-scale study in the Maastricht Heuvelland region into the causes and consequences of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. That study involves not only diabetes patients, but also a large group of people from the general population as a control group. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the Western world: over 1.2 million Dutch people suffer from it. In addition, a considerable number of people also have diabetes without knowing it or are in a preliminary stage of diabetes. The chronic disease can lead to all kinds of (serious) complications, and people also die as a result of type 2 diabetes.
UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database containing anonymized genetic, lifestyle and health data on half a million Britons. The database also contains blood samples and heart and brain scans of volunteer participants. Researchers from around the world conducting health research that is in the public interest can obtain permission to use the data in the UK Biobank.
The database was opened to researchers in 2012. Since its opening, 30,000 researchers from 100 countries received permission to use the data. With this, more than 6,000 articles have now been published after peer-review in scientific journals. More information about the UK Biobank can be found at http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk
