Depression could be prevented with specific daily step count, study finds
Getting a certain number of daily steps has long been known to boost overall health — and now a new study has pinpointed how many you need to keep depression at bay.
A research team led by Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, PhD, from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, analyzed 33 studies involving 96,173 adults.
In comparing the adults’ daily step counts and rates of depression, they found that people with higher daily step counts tended to have fewer depressive symptoms, according to the study findings, which were published in JAMA Network Open last week.
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Getting 5,000 or more steps was linked to reduced depressive symptoms, while a step count of 7,000 or higher was associated with a lower risk of depression, the researchers found.
"Our results showed significant associations between higher numbers of daily steps and fewer depressive symptoms, as well as lower prevalence and risk of depression in the general adult population," the authors wrote in the findings.
"The objective measurement of daily steps may represent an inclusive and comprehensive approach to public health that has the potential to prevent depression."
More than 7% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with depression, with those between 12 and 25 years old most affected, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health.
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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the review.
"This is an extensive analysis of over 30 observational studies, so it needs to be followed up with prospective randomized studies," he told Fox News Digital.
"There is already a vast body of evidence, including this study, that exercise is associated with mood improvement, a natural antidepressant."
The reason that a higher step count reduces depression isn't only psychological, the doctor said — it's also physical.
"Exercise increases the release of the ‘happy hormones’ — dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin," Siegel added.
Previous studies have found that walking has effects on brain networks that are essential in improving mood, depression and anxiety, according to Dr. Richard A. Bermudes, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer of BrainsWay in Nevada.
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"The more sedentary we are, or the more we sit, the more depressed we get," Bermudes, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
"We also know that there is an incremental benefit to walking — every increase of 1,000 steps per day was associated with a 9% lower risk of depression."
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Genetics, psychological factors and social stressors also play a role in depression, he noted.
"However, we know that natural light exposure, general movement and walking in natural settings or nature have positive mood effects."
Bermudes encourages those struggling with depression to "take it one step at a time."
"For those with severe depression, try incrementally day after day, increasing by 100 steps each day," he suggested.
"If you work and are stuck at a desk most days, schedule 15-minute breaks to exercise the brain by taking a walk."
Walking outside is more beneficial, Bermudes added, as it provides natural light exposure.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.