New research is suggesting that there is a link between depression and a loss of bone mass, which could lead to bone breakage and osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is more common among women than men, and is a condition that causes bones to weaken and possibly fracture, which is why some nutritionists recommend taking such as vitamin D and calcium to keep bones strong.
According to a study found in the journal Biological Psychiatry, it was found that after testing thousands of individuals, there was substantially less bone density in depressed individuals than the mentally healthy.
The results showed that after testing 2,327 depressed and 21,141 non-depressed patients, depressed individuals were at a higher risk of osteoporosis.
“All individuals psychiatrically diagnosed with major depression are at risk for developing osteoporosis, with depressed young women showing the highest risk,” wrote the researchers.
Because of these findings, the researchers feel that its a good idea for depressed patients to get checkups to try and prevent the development of osteoporosis.