Fitter kids face a lower risk of depression decades later, study suggests
Kids who ran faster in a 1985 fitness test were somewhat less likely to develop depression by middle age, according to a study that followed more than 1,000 Australians for over three decades.
A recent study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggests that children and adolescents with higher aerobic fitness have a lower risk of developing clinical depression by middle age. The research, which tracked over 1,000 Australians for more than three decades, found that faster running speeds and better endurance in youth are linked to a reduced risk of depression in adulthood, especially among women.
However, childhood muscular power and strength showed weaker and less consistent ties to adult mental health. Depression is characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities, and feelings of worthlessness that impair daily functioning. Scientists have been searching for modifiable factors that might help prevent depression throughout life, with physical activity often being the focus.
Physical fitness, an objective measure of the body's heart, lungs, muscles, and metabolic systems' performance, is broadly divided into cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness. Among adults, higher fitness has been associated with better mental health. The study, conducted by Kylie J. Smith and Brooklyn J. Fraser from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania, analyzed data from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) Study, which included more than 30 years of follow-up data from Australian schoolchildren.
The researchers found that higher childhood endurance and muscle performance predicted lower clinical depression rates decades later, with a stronger effect in women.
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