ERASE Depression Risk with ONE Easy Move

Depression is never JUST depression.

The disease is linked to OTHER major conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and pain.

In fact:

• People with diabetes have twice the risk of depression.
• Heart disease patients are twice as likely to die if they become depressed after diagnosis.
• And not surprisingly, 85 percent of people with chronic pain are depressed.

Studies show that exercise CAN keep depression at bay. But for people who also have these OTHER conditions, getting regular, moderate exercise can be a challenge.

So, with that in mind, the question researchers asked for a newly published study was a little different:

“How LITTLE exercise does it take for people with chronic conditions to avoid depression?”

What they discovered may surprise you.

This study followed 4,000 adults for 10 years to evaluate the connection between exercise and depressive symptoms.

The researchers specifically looked into the effects of exercise on depression in people with chronic disease vs. those without.

In adults suffering from conditions linked to depression (like heart disease and chronic pain), doing moderate exercise for just 20 minutes per day, 5 days a week, led to significant DROPS in depressive symptoms.

However, in folks without those additional chronic diseases, it took up to two hours of moderate to vigorous activity per day to see an improvement.

Specifically, the exercisers had a 16 percent lower risk of depression—and a 43 percent lower risk of major depression.

Exercising for two hours per day for those without the other conditions led to a 23 percent lower risk of depressive symptoms and a 49 percent lower risk of major depression.

But, at the end of the day, regardless of whether they were battling another chronic illness, the MORE people exercised, the LOWER their depression risk. THAT’S the big takeaway here.

This latest study adds to a growing stack of research highlighting the benefits of this effective, drug-free therapy for depression.

For example, a meta-analysis showed that brisk walking for 2.5 hours per week reduced depressive symptoms by an impressive 25 percent.

And another review revealed that exercise is 1.5 times more effective than antidepressant drugs or cognitive behavior therapy at reducing stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.

So, what exactly IS “moderate” physical activity?

Basically, it’s ANY movement that gets your heart rate up and makes it a little difficult to talk while doing it. This includes activities like climbing stairs, hiking, brisk walking, and dancing.

WHAT you do isn’t important. Just that you DO it.

P.S. With depression, the combo of environmental risks and genetic factors can make the fight to stave off symptoms feel like you’re swimming upstream without the proverbial paddle. If that’s you, CLICK HERE to reveal a surprisingly powerful oar.

Source:

“Physical Activity Dose and Depression in a Cohort of Older Adults in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.” JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(7):e2322489. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.22489