When was the last time someone was kind to you – or you did something kind for someone else? I’m sure you won’t have to think back far to find a few examples. And that’s because the world is a much kinder place than we might think.
Mental health
‘How I rewired my brain in six weeks’
Physical activity in nature helps prevent several diseases, including depression and type 2 diabetes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the most common non-communicable diseases – including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease – cause 74 percent of global mortality. Non communicable diseases, also known as chronic diseases, are not passed from person to person and deaths attributed to these diseases are increasing in most countries.
Physical inactivity is associated with a range of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type-2 diabetes, cancers, and mental health outcomes. In their Global Status Report on Physical Activity 2022, the WHO estimated 500 million new cases will occur globally between 2020 and 2030 should physical activity remain at today’s levels, incurring more than £21b a year in treatment costs. Non-communicable diseases, also known as chronic diseases, are not passed from person to person, and deaths attributed to these diseases are increasing in most countries. Natural environments support recreational physical activity, with this new study focusing particularly on places such as beaches and coast, countryside, and open spaces in towns and cities like parks. Using data including a representative cross-sectional survey of the English population, researchers at the University of Exeter have estimated how many cases of six non-communicable diseases – major depressive disorder, type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic stroke, colon cancer, and breast cancer – are prevented through nature-based recreational physical activity.
Speaking about the findings, published in Environment International, Dr James Grellier from the University of Exeter Medical School said: “We believe this is the first time an assessment like this has been conducted on a national scale, and we’ve almost certainly underestimated the true value of nature-based physical activity in terms of disease prevention. Although we have focused on six of the most common non-communicable diseases, several less common diseases can be prevented by physical activity, including other types of cancer and mental ill health. It’s important to note that our estimates represent annual costs. Since chronic diseases can affect people for many years, the overall value of physical activity at preventing each case is certainly much higher.”
Increasing population levels of physical activity is an increasingly important strategic goal for public health institutions globally. The WHO recommends that adults aged 18 to 64 do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity) per week to maintain good health. However, 27.5 per cent of adults do not meet these recommendations globally.
In 2019, 22 million adults in England aged 16 years or older visited natural environments at least once a week. At reported volumes of nature-based physical activity, Exeter researchers estimate this prevented 12,763 cases of non-communicable diseases, creating annual healthcare savings of £108.7m.
Population-representative data from the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment survey were used to estimate the weekly volume of nature-based recreational physical activity by adults in England in 2019. Researchers used epidemiological dose-response data to calculate incident cases of six non-communicable diseases prevented through nature-based physical activity and estimated associated savings using published healthcare costs, informal care, and productivity losses. It’s estimated that the healthcare cost of physical inactivity in England in 2019 is approximately £1b.
Dr James Grellier from the University of Exeter Medical School said: “For people without the access, desire, or confidence to participate in organised sports or fitness activities, nature-based physical activity is a far more widely available and informal option. We believe that our study should motivate decision-makers seeking to increase physical activity in the local population to invest in natural spaces, such as parks, to make it easier for people to be physically active.”
Low-intensity exercise linked to reduced depression
New research has found a significant association between participating in low to moderate-intensity exercise and reduced rates of depression.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) conducted an umbrella review of studies worldwide to examine the potential of physical activity as a mental health intervention.
The analysis, published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews, found that physical activity reduced the risk of depression by 23% and anxiety by 26%. A particularly strong association was found between low and moderate physical activity, including gardening, golf and walking, and reduced risk of depression. However, this was not strongly observed for high-intensity exercise.
Physical activity was also significantly associated with a reduced risk of severe mental health conditions, including a reduction in psychosis/schizophrenia by 27%.
The results were consistent in both men and women and across different age groups and across the world.
“Preventing mental health complications effectively has emerged as a major challenge and an area of paramount importance in the realm of public health. These conditions can be complex and necessitate a multi-pronged approach to treatment, which may encompass pharmacological interventions, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes.
“These effects of physical activity intensity on depression highlight the need for precise exercise guidelines. Moderate exercise can improve mental health through biochemical reactions, whereas high-intensity exercise may worsen stress-related responses in some individuals.
“Acknowledging differences in people’s response to exercise is vital for effective mental health strategies, suggesting any activity recommendations should be tailored for the individual.
“The fact that even low to moderate levels of physical activity can be beneficial for mental health is particularly important, given that these levels of activity may be more achievable for people who can make smaller lifestyle changes without feeling they need to commit to a high-intensity exercise programme.”
Weight training improves symptoms of anxiety and depression in old people, study confirms
Brazilian researchers analyzed more than 200 articles on the subject and identified the types of training most indicated for these cases.
Weight training can help reduce body fat and increase muscle strength and mass in older people, contributing to functional autonomy and avoiding falls and injury. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that it can also benefit the mental health of older people, especially those who suffer from anxiety and depression.
These benefits were confirmed by a study reported in the journal Psychiatry Research. The study involved a systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 200 articles. The analysis was conducted by Paolo Cunha, a postdoctoral fellow with a scholarship from FAPESP at the Albert Einstein Jewish-Brazilian Institute of Education and Research (IIEPAE) in São Paulo, Brazil.
“Resistance training has been shown to be one of the most effective non-pharmacological strategies for healthy aging. It promotes countless health benefits, including improvements to mental health,” Cunha said.
The findings of the study are highly promising, he continued. Besides improvements to symptoms of anxiety and depression in the general population, weight training appears to have a more significant effect on people with a confirmed diagnosis of anxiety or depression disorder.
“Epidemiological studies have shown that the decrease in muscle strength and mass that occurs naturally as we age may be associated with an increase in mental health problems, given the existence of various physiological mechanisms that bring about functional and structural changes and that are controlled by the brain,” Cunha said.
Another important mental health benefit, he added, is that when weight training is done in a group, it contributes to more social interaction among those involved.
Recommended exercises
The investigation also pointed to the best ways of structuring one’s training to improve mental health. “How the training is done appears to influence the results achieved. The information obtained so far suggests that older people should ideally do weight training exercises three times a week, with three sets of each exercise and sessions that are not too long – six exercises would seem to be sufficient. Do less, but do it well: a short set produces better results. This is meaningful information, as we lack guidelines with specific recommendations for resistance training that focuses on mental health parameters,” Cunha said.
While there are many possible ways to prescribe resistance training programs designed to improve the health, autonomy and quality of life for older people, most result directly or indirectly in improvements to symptoms of anxiety and depression, regardless of the intensity and volume of the exercises involved, according to Edilson Cyrino, last author of the article and principal investigator for the study. He is a professor at the State University of Londrina (UEL) and coordinates the Active Aging Longitudinal Study, a project begun in 2012 to analyze the impact of resistance training on parameters relating to the health of older women.
Another point observed by the researchers was that the use of training machines and free weights appears to be more beneficial for mental health than exercises that involve elastic bands or calisthenics (using the weight of the person’s body), for example.
“We don’t have statistics comparing the two kinds of training, but the analysis showed that resistance training with weights and other gear is more effective in terms of improving the mental health of older people, largely because the intensity and volume of the exercises can be more precisely controlled,” Cunha explained.