- Seven healthy lifestyle factors have been identified by researchers to reduce the risk of depression.
- Getting quality sleep, regular physical activity, frequent social connections, non-smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption were identified as lifestyle factors.
- Researchers reported that healthy lifestyle factors may be more important than genetic risk factors for depression.
A healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity, social connections, quality sleep, and a healthy diet may lower your risk of depression.
That's according to new information
In it, researchers identified seven lifestyle factors that they claim reduce the risk of depression.
“Our DNA, or the genetic influences we have inherited, can increase the risk of depression, but we showed that a healthy lifestyle is potentially more important,” the study says. said co-author and American professor Barbara Sahakian. The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, UK, said in a press statement.
“Some of these lifestyle factors are something we have some control over, so trying to find ways to improve them (for example, getting a good night's sleep, going out to see friends, etc.) ) can make a huge difference in people's lives,'' she added.
Researchers cite seven lifestyle factors as reducing the risk of depression:
- eat a healthy diet
- regular physical activity
- never smoke
- Limit alcohol intake to moderation
- have frequent social connections
- get enough sleep
- Minimize sedentary behavior
Researchers looked at data from around 290,000 people in the UK Biobank over nine years. Of these, 13,000 people experienced depression.
The data included genetic, health, and lifestyle information.
Researchers divided participants into three categories based on how well they adhered to the identified healthy lifestyle factors. The categories were unfavorable, intermediate, and advantageous.
The researchers reported that people in the middle group were 41% less likely to develop depression than people in the disadvantaged group. These well-performing groups were 57% less likely to develop depression.
Many factors can influence a person's risk of developing depression.
Environmental, biological, genetic, and psychological factors are all thought to play a role.
To determine the relationship between lifestyle factors, genetic risk, and the development of depression, researchers assigned each participant a genetic risk score.
To determine this score, researchers considered genetic variants known to be associated with depression risk.
They found that maintaining a healthy lifestyle reduced the risk of depression in participants with high, medium, and low genetic risk for depression.
Dr. Carla Marie Manley, a California-based clinical psychologist, says the study's findings are not surprising.
“Our not-so-distant ancestors lived a lifestyle that involved regular physical activity, low sedentary behavior, abundant social interaction, a healthy diet, and often low to moderate alcohol consumption. I had one,” she said. Today's medical news. “Even smoking is a relatively modern phenomenon. It stands to reason that an activity that has allowed humans to survive for a long time is necessary for our overall well-being. It's no surprise that research continues to show that deviating from the healthy lifestyle habits of our ancestors has a negative impact on our overall health.”
“While we cannot change genetic risk factors, we can adopt healthy lifestyles to minimize the influence and expression of negative genetic factors,” Manley added. “When we use our agency to make healthy lifestyle choices, we can have a positive impact on our well-being. On both a cognitive and emotional level, when we make healthy choices, we Your sense of power is strengthened. And on a physical level, feeling good in your body strengthens your sense of positivity and power. Through this positive reinforcement cycle, healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce depression. It can have a significant impact on mental health issues such as illness.”
Researchers concluded that among the healthy lifestyle factors identified, sleep was the most important.
They said that getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night reduced the risk of depression by 22%, even in treatment-resistant depression.
“When we sleep, our brains begin to perform important functions that affect cognition and memory. When we sleep, our bodies begin to perform important functions that affect cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. “Lack of sleep can lead to sleep disturbances, difficulty regulating emotions, and increase the risk of future depression.” said Chanel Cassis Elhelou, MD, research fellow in geriatric psychology and neuropsychology in the Institute of Science's Brain Health and Lifestyle Program. Today's medical news.
“But this could also leave us with the question of what comes first: Is it because of the depression that it's affecting our sleep? Or is our sleep affecting our depression?” Because if you have depression, everyday stressors such as work-related stress, familiar problems, and other common things that people tend to worry about can make you more susceptible, especially compared to people who don't have depression. “They experience the same stressors,” Elhelou said.
A healthy diet reduces the risk of depression by 6%, moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk by 11%, regular physical activity reduces the risk by 14%, and mild to moderate sedentary behavior reduces the risk by 13%. % decreased, and non-smoking was found to decrease by 20%.
Frequent social connections were found to be the most protective factor against recurrent depression. Overall risk of depression decreased by 18%.
Not practicing these healthy behaviors can make your depression even worse, says Dr. Karen Ocilla, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in California.
“If you don't do these things, you'll stay depressed for a long time. If you're no longer socially connected to the people you used to laugh with, or you don't have healthy sleep habits, it can snowball into nothing. It's easy to believe depressing ideas about worth,'' she said, and feel “inferior.'' Today's medical news.
“When people think, 'I'm not good at anything, I never get any rest,' people with depression have a hard time separating thoughts from facts,” she explained. “Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on restructuring these maladaptive thoughts so that people can reframe the way they think. Our thoughts do not define us. Depression is highly treatable and one of the most common mental health conditions, and there are several well-established treatments, including self-help books, mindfulness, medication, and activity schedules. Periodic breathing, therapy are all options depending on the level of care you desire.
