Too much TV and little exercise ups depression risk

Scientists have revealed that spending too much time watching TV can increase the risk of depression, while regular exercise can give the opposite effects.

The researchers at the Harvard University found inactivity could cause a range of emotional and physical symptoms associated with the condition, whereas exercise has a positive impact boosting self-esteem, sense of control and endorphin levels.

According to the study that surveyed nearly 50,000 women, women who regularly exercised were around 20 per cent less likely to get depression compared to those who rarely exercised.              

“Higher levels of physical activity were associated with lower depression risk,” the Daily Mail quoted lead author Michel Lucas as saying.  

The findings revealed that those who exercised the most - 90 minutes or more each day - were 20 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who exercised 10 minutes or less a day.

Meanwhile women who watched three hours or more of television a day were 13 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who hardly ever tuned in.

However, Lucas added that the results don’t prove directly that watching too much television and avoiding exercise leads to depression and that there could be other variables involved.

The finding has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.