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One hour of exercise a week helps prevent depression: Study
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Twelve percent of depression cases could have been prevented if participants had conducted at least one hour of exercise per week, research suggests. (Shutterstock/-)
E
ven a little regular exercise of one hour a week can help prevent depression, according to a study conducted by the Black Dog Institute.
The Sydney-based non-profit facility for treating and preventing mental illness, working together with King’s College London, UNSW Sydney as well as the Norwegian Institute of Public Health University of Bergen, Arctic University of Norway and Nordland Hospital Trust in Norway studied 33,908 Norwegian adults’ level of exercises and symptoms of depression and anxiety over the course of 11 years.
Read also: What you need to know about depression
Using data from the Health Study of Nord-Trøndelag County (HUNT study), which was conducted between January 1984 and June 1997, the researchers found that 12 percent of depression cases could have been prevented if participants had done at least one hour of exercise per week.
Participants who did not exercise at all saw a 44 percent increased chance of developing mental illness compared to those who regularly conducted a little exercise.
The research lead author and Black Dog Institute and UNSW associate professor Samuel Harvey said in a statement, “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.” (kes)
