This popped up in my news feed this morning (from the American Heart Association): Beta-blockers not likely to cause depression yet may contribute to sleep disturbances
My first thought? If you're not sleeping, if your sleep is disturbed, well then, you're going to have a higher risk of depression, brain fog, and some serious health issues if it goes on for long.* Sigh.
Of course, they are correct in the statement somewhere in the article that having heart issues, having a need to take beta-blockers, in itself can result in depression and have a negative impact on your overall outlook on life.
Also, if you're not moving due to heart issues then you can have sleep disturbances, memory issues, many other health problems as a result. Inactivity can kill you. I think of it like rust and rot. If you let anything that's meant to move sit around it will typically rust or fall apart.
This is one that's just my opinion and may raise an eyebrow or two: The diet they often suggest for heart disease is another thing that may contribute to depression, cognitive issues and, over time, other health issues. The original studies that "proved" low fat was better have long been debunked but a low-fat diet is still promoted. There are a lot of questions about cholesterol also. There are some big fights out there about diet and every group, person, study, promotes something different.
To me, this is a "Well, duh, what was the point?" study. Basically it says "we don't think beta blockers are "likely" to cause depression but since there are so many things in play when you have heart issues we really can't isolate the cause so be a good patient and take the drugs. Dang, I need to go back and see who funded the study... :-)
Brief intermission...
Took a look at the funding. There's a statement that says there was no external funding for the study. Which, at first blush, sounds good. Just the good ol' AHA doing a study to help us make good health decisions. Then I scanned down and read this:
"Statements and conclusions of studies published in the American Heart Association's scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers are available here, and the Association's overall financial information is available here." (The bold and italics are mine)
OK, call me a skeptic. Yes, it's good that they have strict policies. But if they came up with a study that had proved beta-blockers caused depression would they share it? Would money stop from the beta-blocker pharmaceutical companies that produced them? Would there be huge denouncements and outside studies that proved them wrong?
I think they started out with a goal and then worked to shape the results to fit...and couldn't even do it convincingly.
Just my rambling thoughts early in the morning as I drink my first cuppa caffeine.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/aha-bnl031221.php
NOTE: if you want to have some fun with studies go listen to some of Dr. Michael Greger's videos. The guy rips apart studies in a fun, informative way. www.nutritionfacts.org
*However, after I went back to read the press release again, the study doesn't really say it may contribute to sleep disturbances. It says "The original studies did not include individual patient data, so for this analysis, researchers were unable to investigate whether sleep-related symptoms were persistent for those taking beta-blockers. Additional research is needed to address this question."
