Research from the UConn Center on Aging has shown that older adults with depression are aging faster than their peers, with poorer physical and brain health being the primary exacerbating factors. Breno Diniz, a geriatric psychiatrist who authored the study published in Nature Mental Health, and colleagues measured levels of proteins associated with aging in the blood of 426 people with late-life depression. They found that people with higher levels of aging-associated proteins were more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and multiple medical problems. Diniz measured depression severity but found it unrelated to the level of accelerated aging within the cohort. However, those with the highest levels of aging proteins had worse cardiovascular health and worse performance on certain cognitive tests. The team is now looking at identifying sources and patterns of proteins associated with aging to develop preventative strategies that limit disability associated with major depression in older adults.