Researchers from Australian universities and the mental health service, Black Dog Institute, were among the team of international academics who found that those with high levels of physical activity lowered their odds of developing depression later in life.
The findings, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, reveal the protective effect of exercise against depression applies across borders and demographics.
“We have looked at whether these effects happen at difference age groups and across different continents and the results are clear,” lead author Professor Felipe Schuch from Universidade La Salle in Brazil said.
“Regardless your age or where you live, physical activity can reduce the risk of having depression later in life.”
Dr Josephine Anderson is the Clinical Director at the Black Dog Institute, and a psychiatry professor at UNSW.
She believes the findings will be very useful to many people.
“The information is very exciting, it shows it doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you come from, the effect is the same, and generalised across all ages,” she told SBS News.
The findings are applicable to all age groups Source: Getty
More than 266,000 people were included in the research, conducted over seven years, and accounted for factors including body mass index (BMI) and smoking status.
Co-author Associate Professor Philip Ward from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) said the findings show the importance of creating environments conducive to healthy lifestyles.
“There are many studies about how exercise can help people who already have depression, but this idea of a protective factor reinforces the message that exercise is really important in our mental health,” he said.
Dr Ward said his advice for adults is to find their preferred exercise, and for parents to take control of their children’s physical activity if they are not doing so already.
“We need to get the message out to parents that too much screen time takes away from physical activity, so kids need to put their devices away and go outside.”
The researchers said further study is needed to quantify how much exercise is needed to reduce the risk of depression.
But Dr Anderson said the relationship between mental health and exercise is an important one is clear.
“It doesn’t have to be running a marathon or climbing Mt Everest, it’s just important to build exercise into your life, particularly in a time when people have become more sedentary,” she said.
“This information can be very empowering for people.”
