The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans were established by the Federal Government to encourage Americans to be more active. A new study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, uses the Guidelines to demonstrate yet another health benefit of exercise. Adults who engaged in two hours and thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, as recommended by the Guidelines, were significantly less likely to be depressed.
The University of South Carolina study, which took place over a time period of ten years, surveyed a total of 9580 men. Each participant completed a questionnaire on depression. Then, they were divided into four groups depending on their level of physical activity per week: inactive, low, medium, and high. Physical activity was determined by a questionnaire, and the rankings were established based on the physical activity requirements set by the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines; the medium group met the guidelines, and the high group exceeded them. There were a total of 727 men exhibiting depressive symptoms, and data analysis showed that the light and medium physical activity groups were 24 percent and 51 percent less likely to be depressed as compared to their inactive counterparts. Interestingly, there was no statistical difference in depressive symptoms in the two most active groups.
