The Nutrient: Exercise and longevity, Gaming, Serotonin

Research

Long-Term Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intensity and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality

Movement is one of my top 3 favorite nutrients (behind sleep, and mindfulness) because of the endless list of immediate and longterm health benefits it provides. This study (published this week!) focused on the longterm benefits.

116,221 adults participated in two studies done over 30 years. The intention was to find associations between lifespan and exercise. Specifically, how the amount (per week) and intensity (moderate or vigorous) of exercise lowers your risk of dying. Here are the results. Note: All percentages are compared to people who don't exercise.

Vigorous intensity exercise:

• Participants who did the minimum recommendation for vigorous exercise (75-150 min/week) had a 19% lower all-cause mortality, 31% lower CVD mortality, and 15% lower non-CVD mortality.
• Participants who performed 2x-4x the recommended minimum (150–299 min/week) had a 21%–23% lower all-cause mortality, 27%–33% lower CVD mortality, and 19% lower non-CVD mortality.

Moderate intensity exercise:

• Participants who did the minimum recommendation for moderate intensity exercise (150-300 min/week) had a 20% to 21% lower all-cause mortality, 22% to 25% lower CVD mortality, and 19% to 20% lower non-CVD mortality.
• Participants who performed 2x-4x the recommended minimum had a 26%–31% lower all-cause mortality, 28%–38% lower CVD mortality, and 25%–27% lower non-CVD.

Takeaway

Any exercise is better than none, especially when it comes to reducing your chances of dying. This research shows that if you want to live longer, and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, then you have the option to spend less time exercising at a higher intensity, or more time exercising at a moderate intensity.

Folks who lived the longest  in this study performed 2x-4x(!) the minimum recommended dose of moderate or vigorous exercise. After 600 minutes per week, however, the study suggests you get another hobby. Kidding, but they did say there's no additional reduction in death, so keep your training to under 2 hours daily. Or, you know, incorporate some strength training.

News

Gaming does not appear harmful to mental health, unless the gamer

Societies may tremble when a hot new video game is released, but the hours spent playing popular video games do not appear to be damaging players’ mental health, according to the largest-ever survey

Home Home

I had to stop gaming in my teens because I was such a sore-loser at FIFA that I broke multiple controllers. It's not for me. If gaming is your thing though, then pay attention to the pull to play: are you playing because you want to or because you feel you have to?

Article

Depression and Serotonin: What the New Review Actually Says

Using but not overusing the evidence presented in this controversial study.

Psychology TodayDavid Rettew M.D.

"...this study is an uncomfortable reminder that we did indeed learn and repeat ideas that today look a little foolish."

And

"Depression is complicated. Different people get there from different paths and find their way out through different means."

Words of the week

"It has become crystal clear to us that, as psychiatrists, we are not dealing with mental health issues, but we are dealing with brain health issues; and this one idea has changed everything we do to help our patients."
– Dr. Amen in The End of Mental Illness