Can Exercise Stop One in Three Cases of Depression? A study shows that a third of people at risk for mental health problems could avoid them with regular exercise
- Research suggests that exercise can reduce the risk of depression and anxiety
- 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week could reduce risk by almost 19 percent
- Figures come out that one in five adults in the UK suffers from depression or anxiety
A third of people at risk for depression and anxiety could prevent it by getting enough exercise, a study finds.
Exercise is a well-known treatment for people with depression, even prescribed by doctors.
But more exercise could prevent people from becoming depressed and anxious in the first place, a study of more than 37,000 people suggests.
If everyone got 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week — which makes you breathe heavily and includes running and swimming — nearly 19 percent of cases of depression and anxiety could be prevented, the researchers concluded.
Research suggests that regular exercise could reduce diagnoses of depression and anxiety
And if we all get between two and a half and five hours a week of moderate exercise — which gets you breathing faster and includes brisk walking, biking and dancing — another 13 percent of depression and anxiety diagnoses could never occur.
These results suggest that almost a third of the cases of depression and anxiety affecting one in five adults in the UK could be preventable through physical activity.
dr Carlos Celis-Morales, senior author of the study from the University of Glasgow, said: “This is a very powerful public health message as exercise is free and anyone can increase their performance in a week.”
The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, looked at people ages 37 to 73 who weren’t afraid. They were given fitness trackers to monitor physical activity.
When they were followed up for an average of nearly seven years, about 3 percent had developed depression or anxiety.
Based on the results, the researchers calculated that sedentary people who switched to 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week were 29 percent less likely to develop depression or anxiety.
150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week would reduce the risk of becoming anxious or depressed by 47 percent.
More research is needed because 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 lie more in training with other people and the boost we get from socializing.