New study identifies lifestyle factors reducing depression risk

WEB DESK: In a recently published study in the journal Nature Mental Health, researchers have highlighted the significance of adopting a healthy lifestyle in reducing the risk of depression. This research underscores the potential influence of lifestyle choices over genetic factors in relation to depression risk.

Barbara Sahakian, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge in England and one of the study’s co-authors, stated, “Although our DNA – the genetic hand we’ve been dealt – can increase our risk of depression, we’ve shown that a healthy lifestyle is potentially more important.”

She emphasised that individuals have a degree of control over some of these lifestyle factors, making it possible to improve them and potentially make a positive impact on people’s lives.

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The study identified seven key lifestyle factors that contribute to reducing the risk of depression:

1. Maintaining a healthy diet.
2. Engaging in regular physical activity.
3. Never smoking.
4. Limiting alcohol consumption to moderate levels.
5. Cultivating frequent social connections.
6. Ensuring adequate sleep.
7. Minimising sedentary behavior.

The research drew from data collected from nearly 290,000 individuals in the UK Biobank over a nine-year period, with 13,000 of them experiencing depression. This comprehensive dataset included genetic, health, and lifestyle information.

Participants were categorised into three groups based on their adherence to the identified healthy lifestyle factors: unfavorable, intermediate, and favorable.

The study’s findings revealed that individuals in the intermediate group were 41 per cent less likely to develop depression compared to those in the unfavorable group, while those in the favorable group were 57 per cent less likely to experience depression.