Postpartum depression . . . and other stories

Genetics of postpartum depressionDespite data from 20 000 cases of postpartum depression and three times that number of controls, a meta-analysis of genetic association studies fails to identify a single-nucleotide polymorphism of genome-wide significance. This is something of a puzzle because twin studies have suggested that the condition has a heritability of more than 50%. The investigators say that larger studies are needed (Am J Psychiatry doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.20230053).Mediterranean lifestyleIn the 1960s, Ancel Keys’ cross cultural comparisons showed that people living in Mediterranean countries experienced a low mortality from cardiovascular disease, and gave rise to the idea that a diet low in saturated fat and rich in vegetables is especially healthy. This seems to be true even in countries a long way from the Mediterranean. Among 110 000 middle aged and older participants in the UK Biobank cohort, those who stuck most closely to a Mediterranean lifestyle had the lowest all cause…
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