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Results of a study conducted by Dutch researchers provide additional
evidence for a link between low cholesterol levels and an increased
risk of depression in men. Investigators measured serum cholesterol
levels in some 30,000 men, as part of a large screening program.
They compared the presence of depressive symptoms, anger, hostility,
and impulsivity in these men, to men with cholesterol levels in
the normal range. They found that men with chronically low cholesterol
levels showed a consistently higher risk of having depressive symptoms.
Cholesterol may affect the metabolism of serotonin, a substance
known to be involved in the regulation of mood as the researchers
have previously shown that serotonin levels are also reduced in
men with low levels of cholesterol.
Psychosomatic Medicine
2000;62.
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