Damage to tiny blood vessels causes depression

Keeping the heart healthy by avoiding junk food may also ward off depression, research suggests.

Damage to tiny blood vessels increases the risk of the blues by up to 58 per cent, Dutch scientists claim.

This destruction of capillaries, part of the body's microvascular system, is most often caused by high blood pressure and diabetes as a result of poor diets.

The vessels are responsible for transporting oxygen across the body, but if they become wrecked, various organs receive a reduced supply.

The brain is particularly vulnerable, Maastricht University experts said, as a lack of the vital gas can disrupt chemical levels.

An imbalance of these neurotransmitters is widely believed by researchers to be a cause of depression.

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