Exercise cuts your risk of depression

One hour of exercise a week can help prevent depression, a study claims. 

Researchers studied more than 30,000 people and found that 12 percent of cases of depression could have been prevented through exercise because of the ‘feel-good’ endorphins that are released into the brain.

These endorphins help lessen negative emotions and relax the person who is exercising. 

More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression and that number is only anticipated to grow as sedentary behavior rises.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, recommends for health experts to use this information to alter their treatment options for people with depression. 

Researchers from the Black Dog Institute in Randwick, Australia, analyzed 33,808 Norwegian adults on their levels of exercise and symptoms of depression. 

These adults were monitored over 11 years to see how exercising had an impact on their mental health. 

The research team found that 12 percent of cases of depression could have been prevented if participants undertook just one hour of physical activity every week.

‘We’ve known for some time that exercise has a role to play in treating symptoms of depression, but this is the first time we have been able to quantify the preventative potential of physical activity in terms of reducing future levels of depression,’ said Samuel Harvey, lead author from the Black Dog Institute. 

‘These findings are exciting because they show that even relatively small amounts of exercise – from one hour per week – can deliver significant protection against depression.

Natural chemicals in the brain are released during exercise to give the person a sense of well-being. 

This can help someone cope with anxiety and depression if exercise is done for as little as one hour per week.

‘These results highlight the great potential to integrate exercise into individual mental health plans and broader public health campaigns,’ Harvey said. 

‘If we can find ways to increase the population’s level of physical activity even by a small amount, then this is likely to bring substantial physical and mental health benefits.’

The findings follow the Black Dog Institute’s recent Exercise Your Mood campaign, which ran throughout September and encouraged Australians to improve their physical and mental well-being through exercise.

The Black Dog Institute is a not-for-profit organization and focuses on research, early prevention and treatment of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. 

Participants in the study were asked a baseline of the exercise they participated in and the intensity. 

This was then followed up with a questionnaire to gauge the participants level of anxiety and depression.  

Variables that were accounted for were socio-economic and demographic factors, substance use, body mass index, new onset physical illness and perceived social support.

Results showed that people who reported doing no exercise at all at baseline were 44 percent more likely to develop depression compared to those who were exercising one to two hours a week.

However, these benefits did not carry through to protecting against anxiety, with no association identified between level and intensity of exercise and the chances of developing the disorder.

More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression and an average of 800,000 people commit suicide every year.

Researchers said this study can help mental health experts when dealing with people with depression in terms of treatment options.

‘Most of the mental health benefits of exercise are realized within the first hour undertaken each week,’ said Harvey.

‘With sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm worldwide, and rates of depression growing, these results are particularly pertinent as they highlight that even small lifestyle changes can reap significant mental health benefits.’