Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Oct;16(10):737-744.
doi: 10.30773/pi.2019.03.24. Epub 2019 Sep 3.

The Association between Depressive Mood and Cholesterol Levels in Korean Adolescents

Eun Ji Kim  1 , Jeana Hong  2   3 , Jun-Won Hwang  1   4
Affiliations

The Association between Depressive Mood and Cholesterol Levels in Korean Adolescents

Eun Ji Kim et al. Psychiatry Investig. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: Previous studies have shown that there is a correlation between lipid levels and depressive mood, and that lipids could be useful biomarkers for depression. We conducted this study to clarify the association between lipid levels and depressive mood in adolescents, especially in community samples.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) that was conducted from 2013 to 2016. A total of 2,454 adolescents aged 12-18 years (1,273 boys, 1,181 girls) participated in the Survey. We conducted a cross-sectional study using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for age, household income, daily energy intake, daily fat intake, and daily cholesterol intake, to assess the association between depressive mood and serum lipid levels.

Results: Depressive mood was found in 8.7% of those included in the study. Borderline (110-129 mg/dL) and high (≥130 mg/dL) levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly associated with depressive mood [Borderline level: odds ratio (OR)=5.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-19.81, p=0.01; High level: OR=5.73, 95% CI 1.06-31.08, p=0.04]. However, this association was not found in girls.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that depressive mood in boys is associated with higher LDL-C levels. Further investigation regarding this relationship and the underlying biological mechanisms is needed.

Keywords: Adolescents; Depression; Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; Population-based study; Suicidality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Lewinsohn PM, Rohde P, Seeley JR. Major depressive disorder in older adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and clinical implications. Clin Psychol Rev. 1998;18:765–794. - PubMed
    1. Emslie GJ, Rush AJ, Weinberg WA, Gullion CM, Rintelmann J, Hughes CW. Recurrence of major depressive disorder in hospitalized children and adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997;36:785–792. - PubMed
    1. Engelberg H. Low serum cholesterol and suicide. Lancet. 1992;339:727–729. - PubMed
    1. Papakostas GI, Öngür D, Iosifescu DV, Mischoulon D, Fava M. Cholesterol in mood and anxiety disorders: review of the literature and new hypotheses. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2004;14:135–142. - PubMed
    1. Comings DE, MacMurray JP, Gonzalez N, Ferry L, Peters WR. Association of the serotonin transporter gene with serum cholesterol levels and heart disease. Mol Genet Metab. 1999;67:248–253. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources