Children who are physically fitter are less likely to experience depression as adults, according to research from the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research and Adelaide University.
Researchers used data from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study, which followed participants for over 30 years. They found that children and teenagers with better cardiorespiratory fitness were less likely to develop depression as adults.
The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Dr. Brooklyn Fraser from the Menzies Institute said the research showed that childhood cardiorespiratory fitness had the strongest and most consistent link to depression risk later in life.
“The data collected over 30 years have given us a rare opportunity to examine how early-life fitness relates to mental health later in life,” Fraser said.
“We found that children and adolescents with better cardiorespiratory fitness had a lower risk of developing depression as adults.
“The strongest and most consistent associations in our study were observed for cardiorespiratory fitness, or fitness developed through activities that make you huff and puff.”
The study examined the cardio and muscular fitness of Australian children aged 7 to 15 in 1985, then checked on them again when they were between 36 and 49 years old, over thirty years later.
The link between cardiorespiratory fitness and later depression seemed to be stronger in females.
Dr. Kylie Smith, lead author from the Menzies Institute, said the study shows that more research is needed to understand how childhood fitness and depression are connected.
“There are many contributing factors to depression, meaning no single factor explains risk on its own. Fitness may be one piece of the puzzle,” Smith said.
“While we cannot say a lack of fitness during childhood causes depression in adults, the findings suggest that childhood fitness may have benefits beyond physical health.”
The study included over 1,000 participants, in which researchers measured childhood fitness with physical tests such as a 1.6-kilometer (1-mile) run for cardiorespiratory fitness and a standing long jump for muscular power. A smaller group also did cycling and handgrip strength tests.
More than 30 years later, participants took part in a World Health Organization diagnostic interview to find out if they had ever experienced depression.
Grant Tomkinson from Adelaide University said it is important to find factors we can change to help lower the risk of depression.
“We already know that being physically active is good for our mental health, and previous research has shown that fitter adults are less likely to develop depression,” Tomkinson said.
“But we know relatively little about whether being fit early in life is linked to better mental health decades later.
“Importantly, fitness is something we can change; it may be an important target for improving long-term mental health.”
