Sleeping well can help avoid depression! Cambridge research reveals: Do more "7 things" in life to get rid of negative emotions
It has been more than two months since the death of Chinese singing superstar Coco Lee. While people from all walks of life expressed their condolences, it also attracted public attention to the prevention of “depression”. In fact, a recent paper published in “Nature mental health”, a subsidiary of the authoritative journal “Nature”, clearly stated that if you can maintain 7 habits in your daily life, you can reduce the risk of depression by as much as 57%.
Sleeping well can help avoid depression! Research reveals: Do “7 things” more in life to get rid of negative emotions
A research team from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom retrieved the medical records of approximately 872.82 million people in the UK Biobank in the past nine years, of which 13,000 people suffered from depression. Combining the genetic risks and lifestyle of 197,344 subjects, the research team found that a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of depression in people with different genetic risks.
The research team confirmed that the causal relationship between “lifestyle” and “depression” is related to “biomarkers” in brain areas, including white blood cells, precentral gyrus, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein. Overall, seven healthy lifestyle factors were identified that were associated with a lower risk of depression:
Responsible drinking behavior. Avoiding alcohol abuse can reduce the risk of depression by 11%. (Editor’s note: There are many studies supporting that even small amounts of alcohol can damage the brain, so the connection is open to question.)
Healthy eating habits. Including a balanced diet and eating less processed foods and high-sugar diets can reduce the risk of depression by 11%.
Exercise regularly. Regular exercise habits can reduce the risk of depression by 14%.
Get enough sleep regularly. Sleeping well (7-9 hours a night) has the greatest positive effect among these seven behaviors, and can reduce the risk of depression by about 22%.
Never get addicted to smoking. Having never been addicted to cigarettes or never smoked can reduce the risk of depression by 20%.
Minimize prolonged sitting. Avoiding sedentary behavior can reduce the risk of depression by 13%.
Frequent social contact. The research team believes that social interaction is one of the good protective measures to avoid depression and can reduce the risk of depression by 18%.
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To clarify the link between a healthy lifestyle and a lower risk of depression, the research team analyzed MRI brain scans of nearly 33,000 subjects and found that many areas of the brain were larger (more neurons and connections). , related to a healthy lifestyle, including areas such as the globus pallidus, optic thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.
Through blood tests, markers related to immune system or metabolic problems, such as C-reactive protein (CRP, a molecule produced by the body in response to stress) and triglycerides, were also found in the subjects’ blood. Increases in fat, one of the main forms of fat used by the body to store energy, are clearly linked to depression. In other words, a poor lifestyle can affect the immune system and metabolism, leading to depression.
Is it also useful for people with a genetic risk of depression? Developing 7 habits can help reduce risks by 57%
The study further divided individuals into three major groups based on their adherence to seven healthy lifestyle factors: poor lifestyle, moderate lifestyle, and good lifestyle. Compared with the group that adopted a bad lifestyle, the subjects in the moderate group and the good group were 41% and 57% less likely to suffer from depression respectively, confirming that a healthy lifestyle does have the opportunity to prevent depression.
In addition, the research team also examined the subjects’ DNA to individually score their genetic risk; the score was based on the number of genetic variants known to be associated with depression risk. The results showed that compared with those with the highest scores, those with the lowest genetic risk scores were 25% less likely to suffer from depression. This impact was even lower than changing seven lifestyle factors.
There is still a significant correlation between a healthy lifestyle and the prevention of depression among people at high, medium and low genetic risk for depression. In other words, regardless of an individual’s genetic risk, 7 aspects of healthy living are crucial.
Professor Barbara Sahakian, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, UK, and study author, said that although heredity may indeed increase the risk of depression, research has proven that a healthy lifestyle may be more important. “Some of these lifestyle behaviors are something we can control to a certain extent. For example, we can make sure we get a good night’s sleep and go out to meet friends. These seemingly small actions can have benefits in preventing depression.”
Source:
Healthy lifestyle can help prevent depression – and new research may explain why
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