News you can use | Cycle away that depression

Prone to depression? Get on an exercise bike and ride away from your stresses, says a study. Researchers have found that people who take part in regular exercises can almost halve their risk of depression— but the boost to mental health works only if the activity is undertaken during leisure time and is fun. According to lead researcher Samuel Harvey of King’s College London, a workout reduces stress and should be more widely prescribed as a treatment for depressive or anxiety disorders, the Daily Express reported. The researchers found that the more people engaged in physical activity, the less likely they were to be depressed. Those who’re not active in their spare time were almost twice as likely to have symptoms of depression. The intensity of the exercise didn’t seem to make any difference. Even people who did light exercise, without breaking into a sweat or getting out of breath, were less likely to show symptoms of depression. The researchers, who surveyed more than 40,000 Norwegians, published the findings in British Journal of Psychiatry.