CHECKUP DEPRESSION GOING UNTREATED IN L.A. COUNTY.

Byline: - Mariko Thompson

Los Angeles County is feeling blue. According to survey conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, 9 percent of adults, or an estimated 623,000 people, have been diagnosed at some point with depression. Another 5 percent, or 330,000, who have not been diagnosed reported feeling sad or depressed all or most of the time within the previous month.

The survey for 1999-2000 suggests that many people are not receiving adequate treatment for depression. Among those who reported symptoms of depression or a previous diagnosis, 38 percent said they did not seek mental health services in the past year because they could not afford it.

``Efforts are clearly needed to reduce these barriers and to increase screening for and treatment of depression by primary health-care providers,'' said Dr. Paul Simon, who directed the Los Angeles County Health Survey.

The survey was conducted by telephone with about 8,000 households and examined various health-related issues for both adults and children. To view the report on depression, visit lapublichealth.org/ha.

GIVE GIRLS SOY: Eating soy regularly during adolescence may substantially reduce breast cancer risk, according to a University of Southern California study.

Asian-American women who consumed soy foods on a weekly basis during their teen years and adulthood had about half the risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who ate little soy during the same time periods. From 1995 to 1998, researchers interviewed 501 Asian-American breast cancer patients and compared them to 594 healthy Asian American women.

The researchers asked about eating habits, including how many times each week during adolescence the women ate tofu. They also asked about the frequency and amounts of whole soy foods, such as tofu, soy milk, miso and fresh soybeans, eaten during adulthood.

Researchers found that women who were high consumers during both adolescence and adulthood had a 47 percent reduction in risk. Those who ate little soy during adult life but were regular soy consumers during adolescence showed a 23 percent reduction in risk.

The highest level of consumption was 12.68 mg or more of isoflavones per 1,000 kilocalories in adulthood and four or more servings a week during adolescence. A serving of store-bought tofu - a quarter of a box - contains about 10 mg of isoflavones.