UK (Commonwealth Union) – New research has unveiled that adopting a health-conscious lifestyle encompassing moderate alcohol consumption, a nutritious diet, regular physical activity, proper sleep habits, and frequent social interactions, while refraining from smoking and excessive sedentary behavior, can effectively diminish the risk of depression.
In a study recently published in Nature Mental Health, an international team of researchers, including experts from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University, delved into a comprehensive array of factors. These factors encompassed lifestyle choices, genetic predisposition, brain structure, and the intricate interplay of our immune and metabolic systems, all aimed at elucidating the underlying mechanisms that may account for this connection.
The World Health Organization reports that roughly one in every 20 adults grapples with depression, a condition that exerts a substantial toll on global public health. The multifaceted nature of depression onset involves a complex interplay of biological and lifestyle factors.
To gain deeper insights into the intricate relationship between these factors and depression, the research team turned their attention to the UK Biobank, a biomedical repository and research tool housing anonymized genetic, lifestyle, and health data from its participants.
Analyzing data from nearly 290,000 individuals, including 13,000 with depression, tracked over a nine-year span, the research team pinpointed seven key lifestyle factors associated with a decreased risk of depression. These factors encompassed moderate alcohol consumption, adherence to a wholesome diet, regular engagement in physical activity, maintenance of healthy sleep patterns, never smoking, maintaining low-to-moderate sedentary habits, and fostering frequent social connections. Among these factors, achieving a restful night’s sleep within the range of seven to nine hours demonstrated the most significant impact, reducing the risk of depression—both single depressive episodes and treatment-resistant depression—by a noteworthy 22%.
It said, “Some of these lifestyle factors are things we have a degree control over, so trying to find ways to improve them – making sure we have a good night’s sleep and getting out to see friends, for example – could make a real difference to people’s lives.”
To unravel the connection between adopting a healthy lifestyle and its potential role in reducing the susceptibility to depression, the research team conducted an extensive examination of various contributing factors.
Initially, they scrutinized MRI brain scans from nearly 33,000 participants, identifying multiple regions in the brain where an increased volume, signifying greater neuronal and connection density, correlated with a healthier lifestyle. These regions encompassed the pallidum, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.
Subsequently, the investigators delved into blood markers associated with immune system functionality and metabolic processes, which pertain to how our bodies metabolize food and generate energy. Among the identified markers entwined with lifestyle choices were C-reactive protein, a molecule produced by the body in response to stress, and triglycerides, a principal form of fat utilized by the body to store energy for future use.
These findings are in line with prior research, which has demonstrated that stress exposure can disrupt blood sugar regulation, potentially leading to compromised immune function and an acceleration of age-related cellular and molecular damage. Insufficient physical activity and inadequate sleep can impair the body’s ability to cope with stress, while feelings of loneliness and a lack of social support have been shown to heighten the risk of infection and elevate markers indicative of immune deficiency.
Notably, the team’s research revealed that the most prominent pathway connecting lifestyle choices to immune and metabolic functions was the one with the greatest impact. In essence, a less healthy lifestyle exerts adverse effects on our immune system and metabolism, thereby elevating the risk of experiencing depression.
Dr Christelle Langley, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge as well, says “We’re used to thinking of a healthy lifestyle as being important to our physical health, but it’s just as important for our mental health. It’s good for our brain health and cognition, but also indirectly by promoting a healthier immune system and better metabolism.”
