The fairer, depressed sex?

A recent study says the inability in women to synthesise the hormone serotonin as fast as men could be the reason why women feel more depressed. A team of researchers led by S Nishizawa of the McGill University, Montreal, measured serotonin synthesis in eight women and seven men. The synthesis of this chemical in women was about two-thirds the level found in men. The researchers suggest that in view of the slower synthesis, this chemical is depleted faster in women. Absence of adequate stores makes them more susceptible to depression, say the researchers ( Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , USA, Vol 94, No 10).