Private MD News

Statins may reduce depression risk

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Many individuals who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results are advised to take statin medications. However, new evidence suggests that these drugs may benefit more than just those at risk for heart disease.

A researcher from the San Francisco VA Medical Center and University of California, San Francisco, found that patients with heart disease who took statin medications were 38 percent less likely to develop depression while they were on the drugs. The finding raises important questions about the link between heart disease and depression.

For the study, researcher Mary Whooley tracked the health nearly 1,000 heart disease patients for up to six years. Some of the participants were taking statins. The results showed that these individuals were significantly less likely to develop depression during the study period.

Whooley said that statins may prevent the blockage of arteries in the brain, which could account for the observed benefit.

Doctors have long recognized a connection between heart disease and depression, but it has remained unclear if one causes the other or what can be done about the correlation. The findings suggest that statins may be a viable therapy to address both conditions, though more research is needed.