Women who regularly exercise and do not watch too much TV are less prone to suffer from depression according to a recent study of female middle-aged Americans.
Women who reported that they frequently exercise in the recent years are has a 20% lower risk of getting depressed compared to those who do not get their blood pumping. The other side of the coin reveals that those who sit in front of the TV for hours each week are highly likely to battle depression.
The results of the study further add to the literature that physical activity is very important if you want to maintain good mental health.
The research though does not directly prove that too much TV and avoiding a good amount of physical activity can cause depression. It is safe to say though that more time moving around push up one’s self esteem, sense of control, and level of feel good hormones.
The conclusions of the study compile results from surveys filled up by 50,000 subjects which were done from 1992 thru 2000. The subjects recorded the amount of time they spent in front of the TV and also plotted how often they engaged in swimming, biking or walking thru the course of the study.
The questionnaire also asked about any diagnosis pointing to depression and any medications that might have been prescribed. After a decade of the study, there were 6,500 new cases of depression. The depression was found out to be linked to factors like smoking, weight, and a host of diseases.
The experts found out that subjects who engaged in 90 minutes or so of exercise everyday are 20% less likely to get clinical depression compared to those who exercised ten minutes or less. The intensity of the exercise might also be factor as only those who reported brisk walking compared to just regular walking were found out to have a lower risk for depression.
Those who watched three hours or more of TV each day are 13% more at risk to be depressed than those who hardly watch TV.
The study only suggests veering away from the couch potato lifestyle and moving more for a better mental health.