It is widely recognised that exercise can benefit both the body and the mind, but what about something as simple as walking?
According to a Spanish study published in JAMA Network Open, increasing your daily steps can reduce depressive symptoms. The study analysed data from 33 studies involving 96,173 adults aged 18 to 91. The participants used fitness trackers to calculate their daily steps which ranged from 2,931 to 10,378 steps per day.
The study found that as daily step counts increased, the risk of depression decreased. Compared to sedentary individuals who walked fewer than 5,000 steps per day, those who took even 1,000 more steps daily saw a 9 per cent lower risk of developing depression. The benefits continued to grow with increased steps: those who walked 7,000 steps per day had 31 per cent lower odds for depression while walking more than 7,500 steps per day was associated with a 42 per cent lower prevalence of depression. These benefits were consistent across both males and females and people of all age groups.
However, the mental health benefits seemed to plateau after 10,000 steps per day.
