Study Finds Metabolism May Play Role In Recurrent Major Depression

UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers have found a link between metabolism and major depression disorder. Researchers at the University have found that certain metabolites may help predict recurrent major depressive disorder. MDD is among the most common mental illnesses in the United States. One in five Americans suffer from MDD at least once during their lives. It's a small study, but it is the first to show the potential of using metabolic markers as predictive clinical indicators of patients at greatest risk, Robert K. Naviaux, MD, Ph.D., Professor Of Medicine, At UC San Diego School of Medicine. Research showed that a metabolic signature found in patients could predict which patients were most likely to relapse. These predictions were made up to two-and-a-half years in the future with more than 90% accuracy. Researchers say further testing in a larger study is needed