Poor diet is a well-known contributory factor to osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease, in later life. But it is possible, as other studies have suggested, that increased levels of the hormone produced by stress, cortisol, could adversely affect bone tissue.
Over three years, 329 of them suffered a hip fracture, and they were all asked questions relating to loneliness, life satisfaction, sleep disorders, anxiety and general mood.
Traditional factors known to increase the risk that falling will breaka hip, such as body weight, smoking, inactivity and other illness were taken into account.
Elderly people are falling down like ninepins, but injury/ rates are quite low, in terms of actually getting serious injury like a broken hip. It is possible that depressed people are not looking after their diet as well, and this is contributing to osteoporosis."
The study concluded that
depression is a significant risk factor for fracture in older women. The greater frequency of falls among individuals with depression partially explains this finding. Other mechanisms responsible for the association between depression and fracture remain to be determined.
