Hello Health Advocates,
Coronary artery disease and major depression may be genetically linked via inflammatory pathways to an increased risk for cardiomyopathy, a degenerative heart muscle disease, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital have found.
Their report, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, suggests that drugs prescribed for coronary artery disease and depression, when used in combination, potentially may reduce inflammation and prevent the development of cardiomyopathy!
“This work suggests that chronic low-level inflammation may be a significant contributor to depression and cardiovascular disease,” said the paper’s corresponding author, Lea Davis, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Genetic Medicine and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute.
The connection between depression and other serious health conditions is well known. As many as 44% of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common form of cardiovascular disease, also have a diagnosis of major depression. Yet the biological relationship between the two conditions remains poorly understood.
A possible connection is inflammation. Changes in the levels of inflammatory markers have been observed in both conditions, suggesting that there may be a common biological pathway linking neuroinflammation in depression with atherosclerotic inflammation in CAD.
One possible explanation is that medications prescribed for CAD and depression, such as statins and antidepressants, may prevent the development of cardiomyopathy by reducing inflammation, the researchers concluded.
BUT WAIT A SECOND! We have numerous over-the-counter inflammation-reducing agents available, like the ones listed below, because remember, drugs can cause side effects.
PEA CAPSULES
MODERFALM CAPSULES
MAGNESIUM
“More research is needed to investigate optimal treatment mechanisms,” Davis added, “but at a minimum, this work suggests that patient heart and brain health should be considered together when developing management plans to treat depression or cardiovascular disease.”
CHECK YOUR Inflammation today …
