SIGN guidance on non-pharmaceutical management of depression
Originally added on Thu, 28/01/2010 - 05:37Last updated on Sat, 30/01/2010 - 07:23
Recent research: articles from December journals
Originally added on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 15:01Last updated on Thu, 21/01/2010 - 15:17
I read a lot of research. When I find an article of particular interest I download it to my bibliographic database - EndNote - which currently contains over 13,800 abstracts.
Recent research: 3 studies on diet & (cardiovascular) health, 2 on fish oil, dementia & postpartum depression, and 1 on walnuts!
Originally added on Thu, 06/08/2009 - 12:16Last updated on Thu, 06/08/2009 - 12:23
Here are half a dozen studies on diet (see below for all abstracts and links). The first three are about the benefits of healthy lifestyle. Trichopoulou & colleagues evaluated the contribution of nine widely accepted components of the Mediterranean diet (high intake of vegetables, fruits and nuts, legumes, fish, and cereals; low intake of meat and dairy; high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated lipids; and moderate intake of ethanol) in the inverse association of this diet with all cause mortality. They concluded that "The dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of ethanol, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes.
Recent research: seven studies on diet, supplements & smoking
Originally added on Thu, 27/11/2008 - 06:58Last updated on Sun, 30/11/2008 - 06:48
Here are a couple of studies on smoking, a couple on B vitamins, a couple on vitamin D, and an intriguing study on iron. The smoking papers underline the varieties of damage this habit produces. So the Pasco et al study shows that, for women, being a smoker is associated with double the risk of developing subsequent major depression. The Strandberg research challenges any notion of "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die". This study of 1658 men reports that "During the 26-year follow-up of this socioeconomically homogeneous male cohort, HRQoL (quality of life) deteriorated with an increase in daily cigarettes smoked in a dose-dependent manner.
Draft SIGN non-pharmacological depression treatments guideline, 3rd post: herbs & supplements
Originally added on Sun, 14/09/2008 - 20:24Last updated on Sat, 30/01/2010 - 07:04
This is the third in a series of blog posts on last Wednesday's SIGN draft guideline seminar on "Non-pharmacological management of mild to moderate depression." The first session of the day was on "Lifestyle and Alternative/Complementary Therapies 1". Yesterday's blog discussed the first presenter, Ian Ross's talk on the value of exercise in depression. The second presentation was by Cliff Sharp, a psychiatrist from NHS borders. He reviewed St John's Wort & Dietary Supplements. He talked about the possible value of folate in treating depression when used to supplement conventional antidepressants. He concluded that current evidence was insufficient to determine whether folate boosts response for those on antidepressants only if their initial folate levels are low, or whether it boosts response for anyone taking antidepressants. See an
Folic acid – should we take supplements?
Originally added on Sat, 19/04/2008 - 12:33Last updated on Wed, 02/07/2008 - 05:56
A GP friend recently asked me about taking folic acid supplements.
Common sense isn’t common
Originally added on Thu, 03/01/2008 - 12:19Last updated on Wed, 26/03/2008 - 16:27