Active Lifestyle Reduces Risk of Depression

Previous studies have reported an inverse association between physical activity and depression. Michel Lucas, from Harvard School of Public Health (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues studied data co0llected on 49,821 US women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study, all of whom did not experience symptoms of depression in 1996.  Surveying for physical activity a total of five times during the study period, and following subjects for 10 years to assess for clinical depression, the team found that women who reported exercising the most in recent years were about 20% less likely to get depression, as compared to those who rarely exercised. As well, the more hours the subjects spent watching TV each week, the more their risk of depression rose.  The researchers warn that:  “Analyses simultaneously considering [physical activity] and television watching suggested that both contributed independently to depression risk.”