Published on December 16 in the newspaper Timesthe results of a study by researchers at the University of Castile-La Mancha in Spain highlight the links between walking and depression.
According to this study, walking at least 7,000 steps per day reduces the risk of depression by 31% compared to sedentary individuals.
If the Spanish scientists based themselves on data collected from 96,000 people and consider that recommending people to walk at this pace would constitute a public health approach to combating mental disorders, other scientists interviewed by the Times are more cautious. Indeed, according to researchers at University College London, the causal link between depression and physical activity cannot be established directly.
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Indeed, explains Professor David Curtis, “the study shows that people with more depressive symptoms tend to take fewer steps and vice versa. This study cannot tell us whether it would prevent depression. It just shows that less depressed people walk more, but of course that could just be because they are more happy and active».
The fact remains that daily physical activity is a key factor for good physical and mental health.
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