Brunoni AR, Szlejf C, Suemoto C, et al. - In this investigation involving 9,214 individuals (mean age: 52 ± 9 years), researchers determined whether ideal cardiovascular health (ICH)—a metric proposed by the American Heart Association— is predictive of depression development. Adults with no current depression and other common mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and antidepressant drug use at baseline had their ICH—composite score of smoking, dietary habits, BMI, blood pressure, fasting glucose, cholesterol, and physical activity—evaluated and categorized into poor, intermediate, and optimal. Using the Clinical Interview Schedule Revised, they assessed depression among participants. They found that the overall incidence of depression at 3.8 years follow-up was 1.5%. The rate of depression development was decreased by higher ICH scores. For women and adults aged < 55 years, stratified analyses were significant. Investigators found that poor cardiovascular health tripled depression risk in otherwise healthy adults at follow-up. Improving cardiovascular health may, therefore, reduce the risk of developing depression.