Sport and exercise protect us from depression

Can we protect ourselves from depression through sport and exercise??

Many people in the world suffer from mental health problems and depression. Many sufferers are treated with strong medications, which can lead to unwanted side effects. Scientists now found that even the brief exercise of physical activity can protect against depression.

An international research team of experts from King's College London has found that physical activity can protect against the onset of depression, regardless of age and geographic region. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "The American Journal of Psychiatry".

Data from 49 studies were evaluated

For the current study, the research team analyzed the data from a total of 49 unique cohort studies with participants who were initially free from mental illness. The physicians tried to find out if physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of developing depression.

Investigation included data from over 260,000 participants

A total of 266,939 subjects were included in the study. These consisted of 47 percent men and 53 percent women. On average, all participants were medically monitored over a period of 7.4 years. When the data was evaluated, the physicians found that subjects with high levels of physical activity are less likely to develop depression than people who are less physically active. The physical activity had a protective effect against the occurrence of depression in adolescents, adults and the elderly, explain the experts.

More physically active people have less risk of depression

"This is the first global meta-analysis demonstrating that physical activity is useful to protect the population from depression," says study author Professor Dr. Felipe Barreto Schuch from the Universidade La Salle in Brazil in a press release. The evidence is clear: physically more active people have a lower risk of developing depression. "We investigated whether these effects occur in different age groups and on different continents and the results are clear. Regardless of your age or place of residence, physical activity can reduce the risk of depression later in life, "adds the expert.

Physical activity leads to many benefits

The robust analysis of more than a quarter of a million people found consistent evidence that people who are more active will develop less depression in the future, says study author Dr. Brendon Stubbs from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London. "Given the multitude of other health benefits of physical activity, our data adds to the urgency of prioritizing physical activity throughout the lifecycle," the physician continues.

Further studies are needed

The challenge is to ensure that this overwhelming evidence translates into meaningful policy change that creates environments and opportunities that motivate everyone in society to become more physically involved, say the scientists. Further studies are now needed to assess the minimum levels of physical activity required and the impact of different types of activities and dosages on subsequent risk of depression. (As)