- About 5% of the world’s adult population has depression, and about 40-50% of those with major depression will also experience anxiety.
- Previous studies have linked depression and anxiety to an increased risk for certain diseases, including cancer.
- Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen have discovered evidence to challenge the theory that depression and anxiety increase a person’s cancer risk.
Depression affects about
Past research shows about 40-50% of people with anxiety will also have depression. And this percentage is similar for people with major depression who also experience anxiety.
Because of the profound impact they can have on the body, depression and anxiety have been linked to an increased risk for certain diseases, including heart diseases like heart attack and stroke, and
Additionally,
Now, researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen have discovered evidence to challenge the theory that depression and anxiety increase a person’s cancer risk.
The study was recently published in the journal
According to the study’s lead author Dr. Lonneke A. van Tuijl, who at the time of the study was a post-doctorate researcher in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University Medical Center Groningen and is now an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Utrecht University, it’s a long-held belief that depression and anxiety increase the risk for cancer, but previous studies on the subject are actually quite conflicting.
“Studies also differ in definitions and approaches, making it hard to derive an overall conclusion using more traditional methods,” she told Medical News Today.
“In the…
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