Inflammation can fan the flames of depression<p>&quot;In the health area of psychology at Rice, we&#x27;re very focused on the intersection of health behavior, psychology and medicine,&quot; said Christopher Fagundes, an assistant professor of psychology and co-author of the paper. &quot;One thing that we&#x27;re particularly interested in is how stress affects the immune system, which in turn affects diseases and mental health outcomes, the focus of this paper.&quot;<p>The authors found that in addition to being linked to numerous physical health issues, including cancer and diabetes, systemic inflammation is linked to mental health issues such as depression.<p>Among patients suffering from clinical depression, concentrations of two inflammatory markers, CRP and IL-6, were elevated by up to 50 percent.<p>Fagundes said chronic inflammation is most common in individuals who have experienced stress in their lives, including lower socio-economic status or those who experienced abuse or neglect as children.<p>Other contributing factors are a high-fat diet and high body mass index.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sciencedaily.com&#x2F;releases&#x2F;2015&#x2F;12&#x2F;151218110253.htm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sciencedaily.com&#x2F;releases&#x2F;2015&#x2F;12&#x2F;151218110253.ht...</a>