Lifestyle- and diet-related factors in late-life depression--a 5-year follow-up of elderly European men: the FINE study

Abstract

Objective: Late-life depression is one of the main health problems among elderly populations and a key element of healthy ageing. Causal relationships of lifestyle- and diet-related factors in late-life depression are unclear. This study investigates prospective associations of lifestyle- and diet-related factors with development of categorically defined late-life depression in a well-documented population of elderly European men.

Subjects and methods: Altogether 526 not-demented and not-depressed European men aged 70-89 at baseline were included in the analyses. The association of lifestyle-related and dietary factors with development of categorically defined depression (> =48/80 on the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale) was assessed in a follow-up of 5 years.

Results: Eleven percent (n=59) of the men developed depression during follow-up. An independent association with development of depression was found for baseline depressive status [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.10-1.28, p<0.001], a decline in serum total cholesterol level between study years (OR 1.76, 95%CI: 1.01-3.04, p=0.045), physical activity (OR 0.97, 95%CI: 0.94-1.00, p=0.022) and moderate alcohol intake (OR 0.35, 95%CI: 0.14-0.87, p=0.023) but not for dietary factors.

Conclusions: This study of a well-documented population of elderly European men confirms that physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption may protect against depression in the old-old. Our results are the first to suggest that a decline in serum cholesterol level may predict development of late-life depression. As the effects of age, medication and incipient cognitive decline could not be entirely ruled out; this finding must be interpreted with care.