Together, 7 lifestyle habits reduce the risk of depression by more than half

The risk of depression is strongly linked to genetics. But a new analysis published in Natural mental health shows that following seven healthy lifestyle habits can significantly reduce this risk and even overcome a genetic predisposition.

To conduct the study, researchers from Fudan University in China and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom used the extensive British Biobank. The database contains detailed genetic and health information from half a million UK participants. The wealth of data it provides is currently driving a much-needed renaissance of high-quality epidemiological studies.

7 habits to fight depression

The researchers first examined the lifestyle habits reported by 287,282 people, focusing on seven factors: alcohol consumption, diet, physical activity, sleep, smoking, sedentary behavior and social connections. Then, going through nine years of tracking data, they monitored which people went on to experience depression and noted how much each habit affected that risk. Here’s what they found:

1. Eat a healthy diet – defined as limiting refined grains, processed meats and red meat while consuming plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fish – reduced the risk of depression by 6%.

2. Drink no more than one alcoholic beverage per day for women and two for men reduces the risk by 11%.

3. Spend less than four hours a day outside of work watching TV or using a computer reduced the risk of depression by 13%.

4. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week was linked to a 14% risk reduction.

5. Stay Socially Connected with friends and family reduced the risk of depression by 18%.

6. Never smoke was associated with a 20% reduction in risk.

7. Sleep seven to nine hours every night on average, the risk of depression was reduced by 22%.

Researchers found that people who followed five or more of these healthy habits enjoyed a remarkable 57% lower risk of depression compared to people who followed one or none.

Nature versus nurture

Then, by analyzing genetic data from nearly 200,000 individuals, they found that adopting at least five of these habits helped people genetically predisposed to depression avoid the disease.

“Participants with high genetic risk but a favorable lifestyle had a lower risk of depression than those with intermediate or low genetic risk but an unfavorable lifestyle and those with intermediate genetic risk and an intermediate lifestyle” , they wrote.

“Although our DNA – the genetic hand we have been dealt – may increase our risk of depression, we have shown that a healthy lifestyle is potentially more important,” said author Barbara Sahakian, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. in a report.

The researchers also had access to brain imaging data from 33,000 participants, allowing them to uncover a potential causal mechanism for lifestyle to affect depression. Better lifestyle scores correlated with greater volume of the orbitofrontal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex, “which could suggest improved cognitive control and emotion regulation,” they commented.

Blood tests were also available for some subjects, which suggested improved immune and metabolic function in participants following a healthy lifestyle.

It has long been known that a healthy lifestyle can help prevent depression, but this is the highest quality observational study to date that demonstrates this common knowledge and the first to convincingly quantify the magnitude of the effect it can have. New addiction treatment solutions often make headlines, but some of the most basic lifestyle choices—sleeping, not smoking, and exercising—can also work wonders.