A Canadian research team writing in Diabetes Care says that young adults with depression have have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.The typical onset of major depression is in a person's 20s and 30s. In the Canadian study, the people at the highest risk for developing depression seem to be the same people with the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Worse, depression seems to be associated with less favorable outcomes in people with diabetes.
The question is: Why? The researchers are not completely certain that people with a history of depression are somehow predisposed to developing diabetes.
They speculate that the link between the two diseases may be caused by the fact that depressed people often fail to exercise and tend to gain weight, which predisposes people to diabetes.
Another likely cause is that most of the medications used to treat depression cause weight gain and sedation, which can contribute to the development of diabetes.
Another possible cause, overlooked by this team of researchers, is Metabolic Syndrome. Diabetes and depression frequently co-exist. Diabetes is one of the primary components of Metabolic Syndrome, a potentially lethal combination obesity, insulin resistance (or type II diabetes), high blood pressure, high blood triglyceride levels and low HDL cholesterol levels ( the "good" cholesterol).
This condition also commonly leads to Coronary Heart Disease and death. Diabetes is also known to to be a primary risk factor for Alzheimer's.
Some researchers think that anxiety, depression, and Metabolic Syndrome- including diabetes- are parts of a degenerative biological process with underlying causes like persistent elevated cortisol, inflammation, and high homocysteine levels. It has also been demonstrated that there are there are genetic predispositions to these problems.
A great deal of research remains to be done in this area. In the meantime, it is abundantly clear that many of the preventative measures that can be taken for avoiding diabetes also help in treating or avoiding depression:
- Get plenty of exercise.
- Eat several small regular meals a day.
- Avoid sugar, caffeine and junk foods.
- Control your weight. 80% of type two diabetics are overweight.
If you are insulin resistant or pre-diabetic... or if you are overweight, then remember to have fasting glucose blood tests. If you are interested in alternative treatments, keep in mind that Relora is sold both to lower cortisol levels as well as to suppress appetite. The South African herb Hoodia also helps stifle hunger.
If you are insulin resistant, or suffer from hypoglycemia, alpha lipoic acid, chromium, and herbs like cinnamon and bitter melon can help control blood sugar levels.
For more alternative treatments for Metabolic Syndrome and related conditions, please read
Depression and Metabolic Syndrome.
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