This number of steps could help reduce depression symptoms

Getting a specific number daily steps it’s long been known to boost general health—and now a new study has shown just how much you need to stave off depression.

The research team led by dr. Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, analyzed 33 studies involving 96,173 adults.

In the comparison of daily steps of adults, it is also counted depression ratesfound that people with more daily steps had fewer symptoms of depression, according to study findings published last week in JAMA Network Open.

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5,000 or more steps were associated with reduced depressive symptoms, while 7,000 or more steps were associated with lower risk of depressionthe researchers found.

“Our results showed a significant association between a higher number of daily steps and fewer depressive symptoms, as well as a lower prevalence and risk of depression in the general adult population,” the authors wrote in the findings.

“Objective measurement of daily steps can represent an inclusive and comprehensive approach public health which has the potential to prevent depression.”

More than 7% of American adults have been diagnosed with depression, and those between the ages of 12 and 25 are most affected, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

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dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and senior medical analyst for Fox News, was not involved in the study but commented on the review.

“This is a large-scale analysis of more than 30 observational studies, so it should be followed up with future ones randomized studies,” he told Fox News Digital.

“There is already a large body of evidence, including this study, that exercise is associated with improved mood, a natural anti-depressant.”

The reason why a greater number of steps reduces depression is not only psychological, said the doctor – it is also physical.

“Exercise increases the release of the ‘happy hormones’ — dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin,” Siegel added.

“The more we sit, or the more we sit, the more depressed we become.”

Previous studies have found that walking has effects on brain networks that are key to improving mood, depression and anxietyaccording to dr. Richard A. Bermudez, Psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer of BrainsWay in Nevada.

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“The more we sit or the more we sit, the more depressed we become,” Bermudes, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

“We also know that there is an additional benefit to walking – each increase of 1,000 steps per day is associated with a 9% lower risk of depression.”

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Genetics, psychological factors and social stressors also play a role in depression, he noted.

“However, we know that natural exposure to light, general movement and walking in natural environments or nature have positive effects on mood.”

Bermudes encourages them struggles with depression to “go step by step”.

“For those with severe depression, try to do it gradually day by day, increasing by 100 steps each day,” he suggested.

“If you work and are stuck at your desk most of the day, schedule 15-minute breaks to exercise your brain by taking a walk.”

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Walking outside is more beneficial, Bermudes added, because it provides natural exposure to light.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s researchers for comment.