Age specificity of the relationship between serum cholesterol and mood in obese women

Despite increasing evidence of an association between lower cholesterol levels and negative mood, no study has specifically investigated this relationship in obese people, a population at high risk for both dyslipidaemia and depression. Data on serum cholesterol and mood were collected in a group of 73 healthy women, aged 16 to 76 years, with different degrees of obesity and widely varying total cholesterol concentrations. Mood was assessed using three self-rated scales: the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the State-Trait Anger Scale (STAS), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The association between lower total cholesterol levels and negative mood was age-dependent. No significant association was found in the younger age group (<50 years). In contrast, in the subgroup of older women, serum cholesterol was negatively and significantly correlated with the TAS-20 and the STAS. The negative correlation between serum cholesterol and the BDI was nearly statistically significant. Restricting analysis to the subjects in the highest quartile of the age distribution (>60 years) yielded stronger correlations between cholesterol and mood. In this sample of obese women, the relationship between lower cholesterol levels and negative mood was age-specific and limited to the older age group. The results of this study suggest that preventive programs or drug treatments for reducing cholesterol levels in elderly obese women should include a careful evaluation of mood state.