Can exercise stop one in three cases of depression? A third of people at risk of mental health problems could avoid it with regular exercise, study shows
- Research suggests moving can reduce the risk of depression and anxiety
- 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise could reduce risk by nearly 19 percent
- The figures come as one in five adults in the UK suffers from depression or anxiety.
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One third of people at risk of depression and anxiety could be prevented by getting enough exercise, a study suggests.
Exercise is a well-known treatment for people with depression, and doctors even prescribe it.
But moving more could prevent people from getting depressed and distressed in the first place, a study of more than 37,000 people suggests.
If everyone got 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise, which makes you breathe hard and includes running and swimming, it could prevent nearly 19 percent of cases of depression and anxiety, the researchers concluded.
Research suggests regular exercise could reduce diagnoses of depression and anxiety
And if we all got two and a half to five hours a week of moderate activity, which makes you breathe faster and includes brisk walking, biking, and dancing, another 13 percent of depression and anxiety diagnoses could never happen.
These findings suggest that almost a third of cases of depression and anxiety, affecting one in five adults in the UK, could be prevented through exercise.
Dr Carlos Celis-Morales, lead author of the study from the University of Glasgow, said: “This is a very strong public health message as exercise is free and everyone can increase the amount they do in a week.”
The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, looked at people ages 37 to 73 who had no anxiety. They were given fitness trackers to monitor physical activity.
When followed for almost seven years on average, about 3 percent had developed depression or anxiety.
Based on the results, the researchers calculated that sedentary people who spent 75 to 150 minutes a week in vigorous activity would be 29 percent less likely to develop depression or anxiety.
Doing 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate physical activity would reduce the risk of anxiety or depression by 47 percent.
More research is needed, as the study authors don’t yet understand if it’s the exercise itself that makes the difference.
Although physical activity floods the brain with reward chemicals, the benefits may be more related to exercising with other people and the boost we get from socializing.
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