A 32-year Australian study found that stronger cardiorespiratory fitness in childhood and adolescence was associated with a lower risk of depression in adulthood, particularly among females.
A new study suggests that children and teenagers who are fitter may be less likely to develop depression later in life, adding to growing evidence that physical health in youth can have long-term effects well beyond the gym or playing field.
Researchers from the University of Tasmania analysed data from 1,062 Australian children and adolescents aged seven to 15 who were tracked for an average of 32.5 years, into adulthood. According to the paper in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the strongest signal came from cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by performance on a 1.6 km run. Higher levels of that type of fitness in childhood and adolescence were linked with a lower risk of adult depression, especially among females. Muscle fitness, by comparison, showed weaker and statistically insignificant associations.
Kylie J. Smith, one of the study authors, said in a statement that depression has many causes and no single factor explains it on its own. “Fitness may be one piece of the puzzle,” Smith said. “While we cannot say a lack of fitness during childhood causes depression in adults, the findings suggest that childhood fitness may have benefits beyond physical health.”
The findings do not prove that exercise prevents depression, but they add to a wider body of research pointing to the importance of physical activity early in life. Medical Xpress and other reports on the study noted that the work was led by researchers at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research and followed participants for more than three decades, giving the analysis unusual reach for a fitness-and-mental-health study.
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