Possible connections among job stress, depressive symptoms, lipid modulation and antioxidants.
BACKGROUND
Oxidative/antioxidative status may be related to psychological stress or pathogenesis of depression.


METHODS
Participants were selected from 381 female nurses working in a university hospital, and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire was utilized to assess them. Nurses with high job stress (JS) (n = 18) and with low JS (n = 15) consented to participate in this study. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D). Cholesterols, lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA) and antioxidants in the plasma were measured.


RESULTS
High JS participants exhibited significantly higher CES-D scores (t = 3.34, p < 0.005), and significantly lower concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), low density+very low density lipoprotein cholesterols (LDL+VLDL), alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene compared with low JS participants (t = 2.69, p < 0.05; t = 3.46, p < 0.005; t = 2.96, p < 0.05; t = 2.98, p < 0.05, respectively). However, the reductions in plasma indicators were substantially weakened after controlling for lifestyle factors with the exception of LDL+VLDL and alpha-tocopherol. In addition, the significance of alpha-tocopherol concentrations appeared to depend on cholesterol levels. CES-D scores correlated positively with plasma MDA levels, the MDA/TC ratio and the MDA/LDL+VLDL ratio among the low JS group (r = 0.69, p < 0.001; r = 0.79, p < 0.001; r = 0.75, p < 0.005, respectively), whereas there were no correlations among the high JS group. After controlling for lifestyle covariates, the relationship between CES-D scores and the MDA/LDL+VLDL ratio remained significant (beta = 0.95, p < 0.05) using a multiple linear regression model (F = 3.61, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Sample numbers in each JS group were relatively small.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychological stress may reduce the plasma levels of LDL+VLDL accompanying an alpha-tocopherol decrease. There appeared to be a correlation between elevated MDA and depressive symptoms in low JS participants.
Tsuboi
Hirohito
H
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Health Promotional Science, University of Hamamatsu, 1230 Miyakoda-cho, Hamamatsu 431-2102, Japan. tsuboih@aichi-med-u.ac.jp
Tatsumi
Asami
A
Yamamoto
Keiko
K
Kobayashi
Fumio
F
Shimoi
Kayoko
K
Kinae
Naohide
N
D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000097:blood
D000975:Antioxidants; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D002784:Cholesterol; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol