A new study states that depression increases the chances of having dementia. The study was published in the journal of Neurology on July 6, 2010. The researchers studied 949 people at an average age of 79 years who did not suffer from dementia but 125 people suffered from depression at the start of the study.

However, the study only depicts a link between dementia and depression and does not say whether dementia causes depression or vice versa.

The patients were followed up for 17 years and at the end of that period 164 participants were diagnosed with dementia. Among these respondents 136 developed Alzheimer's disease.

The author of the study, Jane Saczynski, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA, along with his co-workers found that 22% respondents who suffered from baseline depression eventually developed dementia at the end of the study as compared to 17% of their counterparts who did not have depression.

Dr. Saczyynski is of the view that although depression may not necessarily result in dementia, it is likely that something like inflammation of brain tissue causes depression and an increased risk of dementia.

In another development, researchers from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo revealed that a diet based on plants defends a person from depression.