Walking to Beat Depression

Walking to beat depression.

Today, I want to discuss how walking more steps can help you beat depression.

More specifically, walking at least 7,000 steps each day is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and reduced depression risk.

First, a quote from the best walker of all time, film hero Forrest Gump:

“I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it’s both. Maybe both is happenin’ at the same time.” ― Forrest Gump.

Today, I’ll take a brief look at the numbers around depression.

Then, I will pivot to the new study showing how walking more steps can help you beat depression.

Depression: The Numbers Are Disturbing

I know this is not news to my readers, but depression is one of the most common mental illnesses.

Depression causes folks to lose pleasure in life.

While there are risk factors that increase depression risk, any of us is vulnerable.

The numbers are disturbing:

• Depression strikes more than 8% (21 million) of American adults annually.
• Nearly one in seven (15 percent) of youths ages 12–17 are affected by major depression.

Some Good News

The good news is that most individuals who suffer from depression achieve full remission with effective treatment.

Unfortunately, only approximately one-third (35 percent) of those suffering from severe depression seek treatment from a mental health professional.

The Mental Health Alliance reports the most commonly used treatments are:

• Antidepressant medication 
• Psychotherapy
• A combination of the two.

Can Walking More Help Keep Depression Away?

A recent systemic review and meta-analysis of 33 observational studies included over 96,000 adults aged 18 to 91.

Researchers included studies that objectively measured daily step counts.

They collected depression data from various assessment tools.

Here is the takeaway message:

Walking at least 7,000 steps daily was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. This amount of walking was also linked to a nearly one-third (31 percent) lower risk for depression than taking fewer steps.

An additional 1000 steps daily appeared linked with a one-tenth (nine percent) lower depression risk.

Study Limitations

I want to talk about some of my issues with this large study.

• Correlation versus causation: The study shows an association between steps and depression but cannot prove that increased steps directly cause a reduction in depression. People with fewer depressive symptoms may be simply more active.
• Study differences: Variations between studies in factors like participant characteristics (age, sex) and step-counting methods create inconsistencies in the results.
• Confounding factors: Other factors not accounted for in the analysis, such as other types of physical activity or chronic stress levels, could influence the relationship between steps and depression.
• Study quality: Many studies included in the analysis had method issues. However, analyzing only high-quality studies showed a stronger link between steps and lower depression risk.
• Publication bias: Studies with positive findings are more likely to be published.
• Uncertainty: The wide prediction interval suggests caution in interpreting the results due to uncertainty.

Study Strengths

This study is novel in connecting objectively measured daily step counts and depression in the general population.

It seems intuitive to me that higher numbers of daily steps would be associated with fewer depressive symptoms and a lower prevalence and risk of the condition.

I look forward to more studies incorporating objective data from wearable devices.

Regular walking improves my mood.

You?

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