Healthy tip: One hour of exercise a week can prevent depression

Canberra, October 4: A landmark study led by the Black Dog Institute has revealed that regular exercise of any intensity can prevent future depression - and just one hour can help people. A research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry , the results have shown that even small amounts can protect against depression, with mental health benefits regardless of age and gender.

The study is absolutely phenomenal. In the largest and most extensive study conducted on Norwegian adults, the levels of exercise and symptoms of depression was monitored for over 11 years. The team found out that 12% of cases of depression could have been prevented if participants undertook just one hour of physical activity each week. 

These findings are exciting because they show that even relatively small amounts of exercise - from one hour per week - can deliver significant protection against depression. “These results highlight the great potential to integrate exercise into individual mental health plans and broader public health campaigns. If we can find ways to increase the population's level of physical activity even by a small amount, then this is likely to bring substantial physical and mental health benefits.” Said lead Author Samuel Harvey from Black Dog Institute. 

According to the Australian Health Survey, 20 percent of Australian adults do not undertake any regular physical activity, and more than a third spend less than 1.5 hours per week being physically active. At the same time, around 1 million Australians have depression, with one in five Australians aged 16-85 experiencing a mental illness in any year. "Most of the mental health benefits of exercise are realised within the first hour undertaken each week," said Associate Professor Harvey.

With sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm worldwide, and rates of depression growing, these results are particularly pertinent as they highlight that even small lifestyle changes can reap significant mental health benefits.