A-Ra Cho | 2 Articles |
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Background
The association between serum cholesterol levels and depression has been studied extensively; however, results are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and depressive symptoms among Korean adults. Methods This cross-sectional study used data obtained from the 2007–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In total, 40,904 adults were included in the final analysis. Participants were categorized into five groups according to their LDL-C levels, using the Korean guidelines for dyslipidemia. Symptoms of depression were evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. Weighted logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between LDL-C levels and self-reported depressive symptoms. Results Compared with the intermediate category, the lowest (<70 mg/dL) and highest (≥160 mg/dL) LDL-C categories were associated with depressive symptoms, after adjusting for potential confounding factors (odds ratio [OR], 1.191; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.008–1.409; OR, 1.241; 95% CI, 1.073–1.435, respectively). The highest LDL-C category was positively associated with depressive symptoms in those who were middle-aged, female, had a low body mass index, and taking or not taking dyslipidemia medications. Conclusion A U-shaped association was identified between LDL-C categories and self-reported depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that LDL-C levels that are too low or too high are associated with self-reported depressive symptoms. Further prospective studies are needed to determine the causal relationship of this association. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
White blood cell count is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Several lifestyle and metabolic factors such as cigarette smoking and obesity are known to be associated with an elevated white blood cell count. However, the joint effect of cigarette smoking and obesity on white blood cell count has not yet been fully described. We explored the joint effect of cigarette smoking and obesity on white blood cell count using multiple logistic regression analyses after adjusting for confounding variables in a population-based, cross-sectional study of 416,065 Korean adults. Cigarette smoking and body mass index have a dose-response relationship with a higher white blood cell count, but no synergistic interaction is observed between them (men, P for interaction=0.797; women, P for interaction=0.311). Cigarette smoking and body mass index might have an additive combination effect on high white blood cell count. Obese male smokers were 2.36 times more likely and obese female smokers 2.35 times more likely to have a high white blood cell count when compared with normal body mass index non-smokers. Cigarette smoking and body mass index are independently associated with an elevated white blood cell count in both men and women. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
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