Relationship between free fatty acids, body mass index and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic heart failure.
Hua Yang, Yan Li, Xing Su and 1 others
PMID 34080794WHAT IT FOUND
Depressive symptoms were common in 195 hospitalized adults with chronic heart failure.
Higher free fatty acids and lower BMI were linked to more severe depression scores, but this cannot prove cause or test treatment.
Key findings
01Depressive symptoms were present in 139 of 195 patients, using an SDS standard score of 50 or above.
02Patients with depressive symptoms had higher free fatty acid levels than patients without (54.55 ± 25.37 vs 42.93 ± 16.57 µmol/L; p = .003).
03In multiple regression, higher free fatty acids and lower BMI were associated with higher depression scores (β = 0.184, p = .009; β = -0.116, p = .049).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether high free fatty acids or low BMI caused depressive symptoms, or whether depression changed them. It was conducted in one hospital cardiology department in China, and the authors stated the sample size was not large enough, which limits generalizability. Depression was measured by self-report with the SDS, not by clinical interview; the SDS Cronbach alpha was 0.75. No treatment or nursing intervention was tested, so the findings cannot guide therapy for depressive symptoms.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the free fatty acid and BMI findings as proof that changing either one will improve mood. The study measured people at one time and found associations, not cause and effect.