NEW YORK (Reuters Health)-women who carried out often and don't watch TV much is most likely to be diagnosed with depression in a recent study of middle-aged Americans.
The researchers found that women who reported exercising the most in recent years is about 20 percent less likely to have depression than those who rarely got their blood moving. On the other hand, the more hours they spend watching TV each week, the more they risk of depression creeping up – but the effect is smaller than that for physical activity.
The discovery of "adding to the growing body of evidence that physical activity is important for maintaining brain health," Dr Gillian Mead, the study of geriatric medicine in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but is not involved in the new study, to Reuters Health in an email.
The study could not prove that watching too much TV and avoid exercise lead to depression. But more time is spent off the couch and being active can improve self-esteem and a sense of control, as well as the woman in his blood, researchers endorphins wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The report includes close to 50,000 women who filled out the survey every few years as part of the U.S. nurses health study. Participants noted the amount of time they spend watching TV each week in 1992, and also answered questions about how often they're walking, cycling, running and swimming between 1992 and 2000.