An analysis of 280,000 people carried out by scientists at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom has found that maintaining a healthy lifestyle reduces people's risk of developing depression by about 57 percent. The paper was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Mental Health.
The research team analyzed data on alcohol and nicotine use, physical activity, diet, sleep and relationships for more than 280,000 adults in the United Kingdom. Participants completed a lifestyle questionnaire between 2006-2010, and researchers also reviewed their health records.
During the following 13 years of follow-up, 12,916 participants were diagnosed with depression. After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, socioeconomic status and education, the researchers found that seven lifestyle categories were associated with a lower risk of developing depression. These included moderate alcohol consumption, never smoking, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, socializing regularly and minimizing sedentary lifestyle.
The researchers then categorized the participants according to their lifestyles. The results showed that people who adopted five to seven of these healthy habits had an average 57 percent lower risk of depression than those who had only two of the following habits. And adequate sleep, exercise and socialization had the greatest impact, with each of these associated with about a 20% lower risk of depression.
