Depressive Symptoms Are Not Associated with Leukocyte Telomere Length: Findings from the Nova Scotia Health Survey (NSHS95), a Population-Based Study

Premature shortening of leukocyte telomere length has been proposed as a novel mechanism by which depression may confer increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Prior studies demonstrating associations of depression and depressive symptoms with shorter leukocyte telomere length were small, included selected psychiatric outpatients, were based on convenience samples, and/or adjusted for a limited number of possible confounding factors.'s≥0.37). Neither probable depressive disorder nor specific depressive symptom clusters were independently associated with leukocyte telomere length.Concurrent depressive symptoms were not associated with leukocyte telomere length in a large, representative, population-based study