Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26505144›Full record

SynthesisJournal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN2016

Serum lipid levels and suicidality: a meta-analysis of 65 epidemiological studies.

Shunquan Wu, Yingying Ding, Fuquan Wu, Guoming Xie, Jun Hou, Panyong Mao

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
59citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

59 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 151 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Are we Using the Right Evidence to Inform Suicide Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? An Umbrella Review.Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research
    Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Review
  6. Low 5HTJournal of neurochemistry · 2026
    Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Observational
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Biological Basis for the Formation of Suicidal Behavior: A Review.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2025
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Serotonin Signaling through Lipid Membranes.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2024
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Shunquan WuFrom the Research Center for Clinical Medicine, the 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (S. Wu, Xie, Hou, Mao); the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (Ding); and the 309th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (F. Wu).
Yingying DingFrom the Research Center for Clinical Medicine, the 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (S. Wu, Xie, Hou, Mao); the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (Ding); and the 309th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (F. Wu).
Fuquan WuFrom the Research Center for Clinical Medicine, the 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (S. Wu, Xie, Hou, Mao); the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (Ding); and the 309th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (F. Wu).
Guoming XieFrom the Research Center for Clinical Medicine, the 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (S. Wu, Xie, Hou, Mao); the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (Ding); and the 309th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (F. Wu).
Jun HouFrom the Research Center for Clinical Medicine, the 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (S. Wu, Xie, Hou, Mao); the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (Ding); and the 309th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (F. Wu).
Panyong MaoFrom the Research Center for Clinical Medicine, the 302nd Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (S. Wu, Xie, Hou, Mao); the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China (Ding); and the 309th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China (F. Wu).
302 Military Hospital of China · CNSecond Military Medical University · CNThe 309th Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between serum lipid levels and suicidality, as evidence from previous studies has been inconsistent.

methodsWe identified relevant studies by searching Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1980 to Dec. 5, 2014). Studies assessing the association between serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and/or triglycerides (TG) levels and suicidality were included. We used a random-effects model to take into account heterogeneity among studies.

resultsWe included 65 studies with a total of 510 392 participants in our analysis. Compared with the nonsuicidal patients, suicidal patients had significantly lower serum TC (weighted mean difference [WMD] -22.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] -27.95 to -16.75), LDL-C (WMD -19.56, 95% CI -26.13 to -12.99) and TG (WMD -23.40, 95% CI -32.38 to -14.42) levels, while compared with the healthy controls, suicidal patients had significantly lower TC (WMD -24.75, 95% CI -27.71 to -21.78), HDL-C (WMD -1.75, 95% CI -3.01 to -0.48) and LDL-C (WMD -3.85, 95% CI -7.45 to -0.26) levels. Furthermore, compared with the highest serum TC level category, a lower serum TC level was associated with a 112% (95% CI 40%-220%) higher risk of suicidality, including a 123% (95% CI 24%-302%) higher risk of suicide attempt and an 85% (95 CI 7%-221%) higher risk of suicide completion. The cut-off values for low and high serum TC level were in compliance with the categories reported in the original studies. LIMITATIONS: A major limitation of our study is the potential heterogeneity in most of the analyses. In addition, the suicidal behaviour was examined using different scales or methods across studies, which may further explain heterogeneity among the studies.

conclusionWe identified an inverse association between serum lipid levels and suicidality. More mechanistic studies are needed to further explain this association.

Indexed as

SuicideCholesterolHumansTriglyceridesCholesterolTriglycerides

Identifiers

PMID26505144
PMCPMC4688029
OpenAlexW2346368055

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.