20 minutes’ exercise a day cuts depression

EXERCISING for 20 minutes a day cuts the risk of developing depression by nearly one third and could save the economy billions, the biggest ever study of the subject has shown.

The NHS spends £7.5 billion tackling depression each year, including £266million on antidepressants alone.

A review led by King’s College London has found that meeting the recommended weekly guideline of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as cycling or brisk walking, could have a huge impact on the numbers of depressed people.

The review of 49 cohort studies, involving 266,000 people across the world, found that those who followed the guidance were 31 per cent less likely to develop depression over the seven-and-a-half year research period.

Dr Brendon Stubbs, the study coauthor and a post-doctoral research physiotherapist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College, said: “We found higher levels of physical activity were protective from future depression in children, adults and older adults, across every continent. When it comes to reducing your chances of developing depression, some physical activity is better than none, and the more you do, the better your chances are.”

He said the team made their findings “after taking into account other important factors such as body mass index, smoking and physical conditions”.

Around one in four people in Britain will experience a mental health problem each year and 3.3 in 100 (2.14million) are suffering from depression at any given time. According to the Centre for Mental Health, around

91 million days are lost each year in the workplace to depression, anxiety and stress, costing British businesses approximately £26billion.

The researchers said it was time for the “overwhelming evidence” to be translated into meaningful policy decisions to allow people to be more active.

Dr Joseph Firth, a co-author and research fellow at NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University, said: ‘The compelling evidence presented here provides an even stronger case for engaging all people in regular physical activity; through schools, workplaces, leisure programmes and elsewhere, in order to reduce the risk of depression across the lifespan.”

The findings have been published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.