On the scientific studies front, this end of the year brings its share of comforting news. The latest to date once again favors walking, and encourages people to become fond of this universal and accessible activity with little equipment (since all you need is a simple pair of sneakers in addition to warm clothing in winter ).
Recently, Australian researchers told us that increasing the daily walking time allows us to gain five to eleven years of additional life. In a new study, Spanish researchers follow suit. Like their colleagues, they urge you to go out for a walk while taking your pedometer, this time to boost your brain.
Walking, a natural anti-depressant exercise
Researchers led by Estela Jimenez-Lopez, from the University of Castile-La Mancha, assure that walking more every day is THE way everyone can reduce the risk of depression.
We already knew that physical exercise, of any kind, has an antidepressant effect thanks to the release of well-being hormones such as endorphins, serotonin and by the reduction of cortisol (stress hormone) and better regulation. emotional. Regular physical activity thus gives good results in reducing symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety.
This Spanish publication, published on December 16 in JAMA network open, establishes a link between the number of daily steps and mental health benefits. Their conclusions are encouraging: from 5,000 steps per day, the risk of depression decreases.
Their analysis looked at 33 studies involving more than 96,000 adults worldwide. The studies involved people who used fitness measuring devices to calculate their daily steps.
Just 1000 more steps each day reduces the risk of depression
Summary of the races: the researchers observed that, compared to a base of 5,000 steps per day, people taking just 1,000 more steps daily saw their risk of suffering from depression decrease by 9%.
And the benefits climbed as the number of steps increased: people who walked 7,000 steps a day were 31% less likely to suffer from depression than followers of 5000 steps per day.
A total of more than 7,500 steps per day was linked to “a 43% reduced prevalence of depression,” the authors gloated in a press release. These trends were true among “all age groups, men and women.
Good to know: there is no need to be overzealous in wanting to smash your step record. According to the researchers, walking more than 10,000 per day does not appear to be accompanied by a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, the researchers write.
This work should motivate the most cautious to take a walk at any occasion (after lunch, in the morning, at the end of the day, etc.) even in winter to do their brain good.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-depression-daily-mental-health.html
