For most people, watching television is an enjoyable and relaxing pastime that requires little effort. On the other hand, exercise is not everyone's cup of tea. Sure, there are plenty of gym junkies, devoted runners and dedicated swimmers out there, but for the vast majority, physical activity doesn't hold quite the same appeal as the small screen.
So it's interesting that a US study has found more physical activity and less time in front of the box may reduce the risk of depression in older women.
The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, questioned almost 50,000 women aged between 46 and 81 years old about their exercise (walking, running, cycling or swimming) habits every two years between 1992 and 2006. The same questionnaires also asked participants whether they had been diagnosed with depression or were taking medication for depression. Participants were asked once about their weekly television viewing habits, in 1992. Only women who did not have depression in 1996 were included in the final results.
After accounting for other aspects of health and lifestyle that are linked to depression, the researchers found that women who exercised for 90 minutes or more each day were 20 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with depression than women whose daily exercise was limited to 10 minutes or less.
In contrast, three or more hours in front of the television each day increased the risk of being diagnosed with depression by 13 per cent compared to watching little or no television. Spending three hours of your daily free time watching television would obviously take a sizeable chunk of your potential exercising time, so this result was not surprising.
The researchers did point out the possibility that some women in the study were affected by depression prior to them being diagnosed. Given the impact depression can have on energy and motivation levels, this may account – at least in part – for the link between low levels of physical activity and later diagnosis of depression seen in this study.
Nonetheless, these findings support the growing body of evidence for the protective effects of exercise against depression, in addition to highlighting a potential link between excessive television viewing and risk for developing depression.
So what's the take-home message? You certainly don't need to give up television altogether, but substituting some of your viewing time for something a little more active is likely to benefit your mind as well as your body.
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