Other than oranges and exercise, drugs like Ozempic can also lower the chances of depression
Depression is a condition that affects an estimated 5% of the world’s adult population and the symptoms that come with the disease can negatively impact a person’s life.
However, lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity can lower the risk depression poses.
Over the last few months, researchers have highlighted how dietary choices, exercises and medication used for other chronic conditions might impact the risk of developing depression.
Drugs like Ozempic are linked to lower depression risk. The condition is linked to a number of physical illnesses including diabetes. Data suggests that diabetic people are twice as likely as people without diabetes to also be diagnosed with depression, according to Medical News Today.
Moreover, oranges may lower risk of the disease by 20%. As established earlier, diet plays an important role in keeping depression at a distance and a study published in the journal Microbiome in November 2024 has delved a bit deeper in the specifics.
The study concluded that people who eat an orange every day may lower their risk of depression by 20%.
Lead author of the study, MD Raaj Mehta stated in a press release that just “one medium orange a day” can keep depression at bay.
Furthermore, moderate or vigorous exercise can also help in lowering the risk of depression and other brain conditions. Research due to be presented in early April 2025 suggests that moderate-to-vigorous exercise in linked to a lower chance of developing a range of neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia and depression.
Moderate-to-vigorous exercise may keep depression, brain conditions at bay
Last but not least, exercise continues to emerge as an important factor in protecting brain and mental health.
Research due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting in early April 2025 — and which is yet to undergo peer review — has found that moderate-to-vigorous exercise is linked to a lower likelihood of developing a range of neuropsychiatric diseases, including dementia and depression.
Looking at the medical data of more than 73,000 older adults, the researchers who conducted the study concluded that participants who expended more energy on a regular basis through moderate-to-vigorous exercise had a 14%–40% lower risk of dementia, anxiety, depression, stroke, and even sleep disorders, compared to more sedentary peers.
Co-lead author of the study Jia-Yi Wu, MD, a researcher from Huashan Hospital Fudan University in Shanghai, China, told MNT that “unlike genetic predispositions, sedentary behavior is a modifiable risk factor.”
“Our finding underscores the urgent need for behavioral and environmental changes to promote more active lifestyles,” she added.