When it comes to avoiding the frailty and disability of ageing, nothing beats preventing or treating depression. While we’ve known for years that depression significantly increases your risk of death from heart disease, a major study has found it also increases the risk of death from stroke, pneumonia, influenza, Parkinsons’ disease and multiple sclerosis. One study found that people with symptoms of depression were 42 per cent more likely to develop diabetes the worse the depression, the higher the risk of diabetes. And a another study showed that a history of depression raised the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 2.5 times.

Depression is far more than just a low mood. Feelings of sadness and a lack of enjoyment of normal activities occur for most of the day, almost every day, and persist for weeks without relief. Typically they are most intense at the start of the day. People affected lose motivation, may find it difficult to concentrate and may feel exhausted, irritable, guilty, hopeless or worthless. General aches and pains may develop along with headaches, palpitations and chest pain, and sleep patterns and appetite are disturbed.

This is a complicated condition with many interacting cause. Sometimes depression is set off by external events, such as bereavement, debt, major surgery or a diagnosis of serious illness, including cancer or a heart attack. And sometimes it just happens so called endogeneous depression. People with a family history of depression seem to be more vulnerable, as do those who abuse alcohol or drugs. Even some prescribed medications may precipitate depression. People with sleep disorders, women with young children and unemployed people are all more likely to become depressed, as are people in unhappy marriages, whereas those with supportive relationships seem to be protected. Some diseases, such as an underactive thyroid gland, are directly linked with depression. And unani researchers have shown that depression in later life may be associated with narrowing and hardening of the arteries supplying the brain.

The link between depression, disease and death? Recently an outpouring of research has highlighted links with chronic inflammation the state of heightened immune system activity that When it comes to avoiding the frailty and disability of ageing, nothing beats preventing or treating depression. While we’ve known for years that depression significantly increases your risk of death from heart disease, a major study has found it also increases the risk of death from stroke, pneumonia, influenza, Parkinsons’ disease and multiple sclerosis. One study found that people with symptoms of depression were 42 per cent more likely to develop diabetes the worse the depression, the higher the risk of diabetes. And a another study showed that a history of depression raised the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 2.5 times.

Depression is far more than just a low mood. Feelings of sadness and a lack of enjoyment of normal activities occur for most of the day, almost every day, and persist for weeks without relief. Typically they are most intense at the start of the day. People affected lose motivation, may find it difficult to concentrate and may feel exhausted, irritable, guilty, hopeless or worthless. General aches and pains may develop along with headaches, palpitations and chest pain, and sleep patterns and appetite are disturbed.

This is a complicated condition with many interacting cause. Sometimes depression is set off by external events, such as bereavement, debt, major surgery or a diagnosis of serious illness, including cancer or a heart attack. And sometimes it just happens so called endogeneous depression. People with a family history of depression seem to be more vulnerable, as do those who abuse alcohol or drugs. Even some prescribed medications may precipitate depression. People with sleep disorders, women with young children and unemployed people are all more likely to become depressed, as are people in unhappy marriages, whereas those with supportive relationships seem to be protected. Some diseases, such as an underactive thyroid gland, are directly linked with depression. And unani researchers have shown that depression in later life may be associated with narrowing and hardening of the arteries supplying the brain.

The link between depression, disease and death? Recently an outpouring of research has highlighted links with chronic inflammation the state of heightened immune system activity that doctors now believe is the underlying cause of so many diseases. People who are depressed have overactive immune systems that produce inflammation-promoting chemicals such as cytokines, which are known to influence many conditions that become more common with age. And people with inflammatory disease are more likely to become depressed. Those with rheumatoid arthritis, for example, are two or three times as likely to become depressed as the rest of the general population and when they are depressed their arthritis tends to get worse. This suggests that there is ‘cross-talk’ between the brain and the immune system.

Stress increases the production of cytokines, which may explain why stressful events can precipitate depression. Both stress and depression increase the risk of infections, which in turn promotes a further output of cytokines. The same vicious circle occurs with sleep disorders. There is also some evidence that stress and depressions may permanently alter immune responsiveness, so that cytokine production and an enhanced inflammatory response are more likely even with minor stress or trivial infections.

All of which may explain why sometimes depression is prolonged, hard to treat and recurrent, and why it is linked with many chronic diseases associated with ageing. The good news is that taking steps to reduce stress, depression or inflammation may all enhance health. According to psychiatrists antidepressant drugs have potential anti-inflammatory effects and treatments that reduce inflammation may have antidepressant effects. By getting your depression under control, you can minimise its impact on your overall life expectancy. So get Unani professional help if you need it, and meanwhile try these tactics to prevent depression, or reduce its effects if it does.

Pick a walkable neighbourhood to live in. Exercise triggers the release of a mood enhancing brain chemical called serotonin. In one study, regular exercise was as effective as medication in improving symptoms of depression. More time spent outdoors has also been shown to reduce depression light boosts serotonin production, too, and contact with nature reduces stress and depression. A study of 740 older adults found that living in ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods protected older men from depression better than less walker friendly areas. And it wasn’t just the exercise that played a role, but something within the neighbourhood itself, possibly the sense of connection it provided.

Do something - anything - relaxing Depressing feeds on stress. Get practice in managing your stress levels before tension and anxiety become overwhelming. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as it’s effective. Take up Unani yoga, learn to meditate, have a Unani massage or try deep breathing exercises, guided imagery or progressive relaxation techniques all easily learned at home from books or audiotapes.

Get help for a troubled relationship. Surprisingly perhaps, marriage seems to be quite good for depression in one study, depressed people who got married scored much lower on a depression test than those who stayed single. But other studies suggest that unhappy marriages are linked with depression, and getting divorced even more so. So it’s worth seeking help if you can see the resources section.

Eat more omega-3s The good fats in oily fish and some vegetables are not just good for your physical health, they may also protect against depression. Countries with higher rates of fish consumption generally have lower rates of depression so make sure you get your two portions of oily fish a week, and keep a container of flaxseeds in the fridge. The seed of the flax plant is one of the richest dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and many studies find that this valuable fat significantly reduces the risk of depression. Sprinkle it over yoghurt and salads, mix into pasta sauce or blend into smoothies.

But consume less vegetable oil : Just as important as adding omega-3s to your diet is cutting back onomega-6 fatty acids, found in vegetable oils used to make everything from margarine to cakes to crisps. One study found that people with major depression had nearly 18 times as many omega-6s as omega-3s in their blood, compared with about 13 times as many for subjects who weren’t depressed.

Take a B-vitamin supplement : A major study found that taking B supplements boosts the benefits of depression treatment. Other studies found low blood levels of vitamin B12 and folate (another B vitamin) in depressed people, with older women with vitamin B12, deficiencies having twice the risk of depression compared with women with normal blood levels of the vitamin. The benefit is probably related to the importance of B vitamins in brain health and their ability to reduce levels of homocysteine, a marker of inflammation that has also been linked to depression.

Touch your loved ones : The bottom line particularly for women is that the more loved you feel, the less likely you are to become depressed. So arrange a lunch date with a good friend; work on your relationship with your children; tell your partner ‘I love you’ every day; and light candles and get out the massage oil this is the time to bring sex back into your life. What better way to feel loved than to make love?

Talk to your GP : As mentioned your depression may not be related to anything emotional but rather to something physical. And given all the links between depression and physical diseases, it’s worth getting your general health checked. Most importantly, your GP can recognise and treat depression before it gets worse. Many people with depression delay talking to their doctor but it’s one of the most common problems that GPs deal with and 90 percent of people can be successfully treated by their GP alone.

Take a brisk 15 minute walk a day : You probably know that exercise can help to prevent or treat mild depression. For years, though, researchers thought you needed a pretty high level for it to have any effect. But one study found that just 15 minutes at a brisk pace could help, bringing greater energy, less tiredness, more pleasurable emotions and a greater feeling of calmness. And in a survey just 20 minutes of sustained activity each week - anything from jogging to housework, as long as it’s enough to work up a bit of a sweat had a positive effect on mood.

Mix up a bowl of guacamole : Filled with healthy monounsaturated fat, the avocados in this tasty snack are also great sources of folate. A study found that people with the highest amounts of folate in their diets had the lowest risk of depression.

Walk outside in the sun, particularly during winter : You need a daily dose of sunlight to keep seasonal afective disorder, or SAD, at bay. This form of depression is related to a lack of ultraviolet light. If the weather is too bad for walking consider buying a full-spectrum light, which mimics natural sunlight.

Visit public gardens once a week : Walk around the gardens in all seasons and note what’s new and how the winter landscape differs from that of spring and summer. The peacefulness of the place will help to reduce stress.