Background. We tested the hypothesis that depressive symptoms in healthy young adults would be associated with elevated levels of C-reactive proteins (CRP).

Method. We studied the association between depressive symptoms and CRP in 1201 young adults, as a part of the on-going population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Depressive symptoms were determined by responses to a revised version of Beck's Depression Inventory in 1992 and 2001. CRP and other known cardiac risk factors were measured in 2001.

Results. Higher depressive symptomatology in 1992 and in 2001 and their means score were related to higher CRP levels (B's range from 0·24 to 0·21, p<0·001). These relationships persisted after separate adjustments for various risk factors including sex, age, education, oral contraceptive use, dietary fat, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking status, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and history of acute infectious disease. Adjustments for obesity and triglycerides levels, however, somewhat attenuated the relationship between depressive symptoms and CRP.

Conclusions. We concluded that higher levels of depressive symptoms are associated with higher levels of CRP, but this association may largely be attributable to obesity or triglycerides.