People with depression have low blood levels of this stuff

According to a new study, people with depression have low blood levels of a substance called acetyl-L-carnitine

"[Depression is] the leading cause of work absenteeism and l & # 39; 39, one of the main causes of absenteeism … suicide

Naturally produced in the body, acetyl-L-carnitine is also widely available in pharmacies, supermarkets and catalogs natural foods as nutritional supplement. People with severe or treatment-resistant depression, or whose episodes of depression began earlier in life, have particularly low blood levels of the substance.

The findings, which appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ] rely on extensive animal research. They mark the first rigorous indication that the link between acetyl-L-carnitine levels and depression can also apply to people.

They also point the way to a new class of antidepressants that could be more free of side effects and rapid action than those used today, and which can help patients to which existing treatments are not working or have stopped working.

Trying to Understand Depression

Natalie Rasgon, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, describes the results "As a clinical psychiatrist, I have treated many people with this disorder in my practice, "she says. mood disorder or clinical depression, is the most prevalent mood disorder in the United States and the world, affecting 8-10 percent of the general population at some point, with one in four likely to experience

"This is the number 1 reason for absenteeism at work and one of the leading causes of suicide," Rasgon says. "Worse, current pharmacological treatments are only effective for approximately 50% of the people for whom they are prescribed, and they have many side effects, often decreasing long-term compliance."

"In rodent experiments … an acetyl-L-carnitine deficiency was associated with depression-like behavior, "says McEwen. According to him, the oral or intravenous administration of acetyl-L-carnitine reversed the animals' symptoms and restored their normal behavior.

In these studies, the animals responded to acetyl-L-carnitine supplementation within a few days. Current antidepressants, on the other hand, usually take two to four weeks to stimulate animal experiments as well as patients.

Animal studies conducted by Carla Nasca, a postdoctoral researcher in McEwen's lab, suggest that acetyl-L-carnitine crucial mediator of fat metabolism and energy production throughout the body, plays a special role in the brain, where it acts at least in part by preventing excessive triggering of excitatory nerve cells in areas of the brain called the hippocampus and frontal cortex

Rasgon warns against the fact of rushing to the store to fetch a bottle of acetyl-L-carnitine and self-medicating for depression.

The new study, also undertaken by Nasca, recruited men and women aged 20 to 70 years. They were diagnosed with depression and, in the midst of episodes of acute depression, were admitted to Weill Cornell Medicine or Mount Sinai School of Medicine, both in New York, for treatment

]. a detailed questionnaire and clinical evaluation, as well as blood samples and medical history. Twenty-eight of them were found to have moderate depression, and 43 had severe depression.

By comparing their blood samples with those of 45 demographically matched healthy individuals, blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine from depressed patients were found to be significantly lower. These results are valid for both men and women, regardless of age.

A Warning

Further analysis showed that the lowest levels occurred in participants with the most severe symptoms.

New evidence of the genetics of depression is changing the situation

Acetyl-L-carnitine levels were also lower in patients who reported a history of abuse or neglect at home. during their childhood. These patients, who collectively represent 25 to 30% of all people with major depressive disorder, are precisely those who need the most effective pharmacological interventions, says Rasgon, who performed most of the Advanced data analysis for the study.

But she warns against rushing to the store to take a bottle of acetyl-L-carnitine and self-medication for depression.

Carnitine befo "We have many previous examples of how nutritional supplements widely available over the counter and not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration-for example, omega-3 fatty acids or various substances to herbal-are presented as panaceas for you, name it, and do not campaign, "she says.

Big questions remain, she adds. "We have identified a new important biomarker of major depressive disorder, we have not tested whether supplementation with this substance could actually improve patients' symptoms.What is the appropriate dose, frequency, duration? to many questions before making any recommendations, for the time being.It is the first step towards the development of this knowledge, which will require large-scale and carefully controlled clinical trials. "

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Additional Researchers from Rockefeller University; Weill Cornell Medical College; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Duke University; and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, also contributed to this work

Stanford University shares a multi-institutional agreement on intellectual property resulting from this research. The Hope for Depression Research Foundation, the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Research Consortium and the Robertson Foundation funded the study. The Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences also supported the work

Source: Stanford University