PEOPLE who participated in Sweden’s ultra-long cross-country ski competition developed significantly fewer anxiety disorders over time than a control group.
Male and female skiers both experienced a reduced risk of future anxiety disorders. High-performing female skiers were more likely to develop anxiety disorders than slower female skiers.
According to the authors of a new study, although previous research has looked at links between mental health, depression, and exercise, most studies have not specifically focused on anxiety disorders.
In addition, even the larger previous studies have tended to be small, often excluding women and not significantly exploring the long-term mental health effects of exercise.
The new study looks at how exercise intensity corresponds to a reduction in anxiety for both men and women over the long term.
The Swedish study analyzes data from 400,000 people of both sexes, tracking them for up to 21 years to explore exercise’s lasting benefit when it comes to preventing anxiety disorders.
To identify a large cohort of people leading an active lifestyle, the researchers studied people who took part in the world’s largest long-distance cross-country ski race, the Vasaloppet in Sweden, between 1989 and 2010.
The 90-kilometer course served as the researchers’ proxy for an active lifestyle.Lead author Martina Svensson told Medical News Today, “Previous studies have shown that this group of skiers are significantly more active in their leisure time and have a higher fitness level compared to the matched general population we use as control population.”
That control population included individuals who were similar to the skiers in their region of residency and their age group and sex.
The researchers did not include people with dementia or other severe diseases, such as heart disease or cancer, in the study. They also ensured that none of the participants had psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders.
Kristin Szuhany, Ph.D., of the Anxiety, Stress, and Prolonged Grief Program at New York University’s Langone’s Department of Psychiatry, also discussed the study with MNT although she was not involved in it.
