Exercise cuts depression, boosts survival among older adults

Being more physically active seems to lessen the risk of depression and may even lead to better survival among older adults, a recent study has found.

Drawing from the 2007–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 7,201 adults aged ≥50 years. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) while physical activity (PA) was self-reported. Participants who engaged in ≥600 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minutes per week were classified as the more-active group.

Logistic regression analysis revealed that even after adjusting for confounders, those who were more active were >40 percent less likely to develop depression than their less-active comparators (odds ratio [OR], 0.57, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.44–0.72; p<0.001).

Stratifying analysis according to the different domains of PA showed that its significant beneficial effect on depression was driven by leisure-time exercise (≥600 vs <600 MET-minutes per week: OR, 0.47, 95 percent CI, 0.32–0.67; p<0.001), as opposed to PA at work or PA in transport or travel.

Over a median follow-up of 54.0 months, 655 deaths occurred. All-cause mortality risk was significantly higher among those with depression (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55, 95 percent CI, 1.18–2.03; p=0.002) and those who had PA <600 MET-minutes per week (HR, 1.73, 95 percent CI, 1.45–2.07; p<0.001).

Notably, participants who were both physically active and had no depression enjoyed the lowest risk of death (HR, 0.38, 95 percent CI, 0.28–0.52; p<0.001).

“From a population health perspective, promoting moderate to vigorous PA for at least 150 min/week among Americans aged over 50 years with depression may be an important health-promotion strategy that can reduce the increased all-cause mortality risk associated with depression.”