Association between lipid ratio and depression: a cross-sectional study

Depression is associated with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the blood. However, evidence is limited on the relationship between depression and lipid ratios. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between depression and different lipid ratios. This study was conducted using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 11,648 adult men and women aged ≥ 19 years, without missing data, were included in this study. Depression was diagnosed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The associations between depression and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were analyzed. A complex sample logistic regression test was used for the analysis of the odds ratios of depression. Among men, the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios were not associated with depression. Additionally, an increase in triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio by 1 was associated with a 1.041-fold higher probability of depression in men. Among women, the three lipid ratios were not associated with depression. Triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio is associated with depression among men. Future studies should cross-validate, explore the biological mechanism, and identify the clinical implication of this correlation.