Exercising for just an hour every week may prevent depression

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New Delhi: Not need to consult a doctor if you or anyone around you is feeling depressed.

Depression can now be fought at home.

A study says that exercising for just an hour every week can help prevent the risk of depression, only if it is followed religiously.

Researchers have found that even small amounts of exercise can protect against depression, with mental health benefits.

A healthy cohort of participants was asked at baseline to report the frequency of exercise they participated in and at what intensity: without becoming breathless or sweating, becoming breathless and sweating, or exhausting themselves.

At follow-up stage, they completed a self-report questionnaire to indicate any emerging anxiety or depression.

Researchers also accounted for variables which might impact the association between exercise and common mental illness.

These include socio-economic and demographic factors, substance use, body mass index, new onset physical illness and perceived social support.

The team noted that people who reported doing no exercise at all at baseline had a 44 per cent increased chance of developing depression compared to those who were exercising one to two hours a week.

The international research team found that 12 per cent of cases of depression could have been prevented if participants undertook just one hour of physical activity each week.

(With Agency inputs)