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Reducing depression symptoms could be as easy as taking more steps each day.
In a study published on December 16 in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers found a higher daily step count is associated with fewer depressive symptoms.
“Our study provides further evidence that encouraging people to be active, regardless of the type or intensity of the activity, is an effective strategy for preventing depression,” Dr. Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, a postdoctoral researcher at the Health and Social Research Centre, University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain and lead author of the study told CNN.
Scientists analyzed 33 different studies involving more than 96,000 adults. The data showed you don’t have to take many steps to reduce depression symptoms.
“We typically hear it’s good to get 10,000 steps a day, but here, even 7,000 steps seem to translate to better mental health,” said Dr. Karmel Choi, clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She was not involved in the research.
In a statement, Dr. Brendon Stubbs, a National Institute for Health and Care Research Advanced Fellow at King’s College London, postulated that even as little as 1,000 extra steps in a day can potentially reduce the risk of future depression by 9%. Stubbs was not involved in the latest research.
Researchers said walking or running are good ways to increase your step count, but you have to choose the metric that makes the most sense to you. However, be warned that not all physical activity can be captured by a fitness tracker that’s solely focused on counting steps.
“Step count is a nice proxy for physical activity, which has been consistently shown to have beneficial effects on depression risk,” Choi said. “That said, we should remember that step counts best capture certain kinds of movement, such as walking or running, and may be less well-suited to capture activities like yoga.”
However, additional studies are needed as the studies analyzed for the JAMA study were observational and focused on the general population rather than people with clinical depression. This means researchers cannot confirm if taking steps impacts depression or if people with depression just move less.
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