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. 2023 Dec 18;21(1):501.
doi: 10.1186/s12916-023-03211-z.

Effects of physical activity and sedentary time on depression, anxiety and well-being: a bidirectional Mendelian randomisation study

Francesco Casanova  1 , Jessica O'Loughlin  1 , Vasilis Karageorgiou  1 , Robin N Beaumont  1 , Jack Bowden  1 , Andrew R Wood  1 , Jessica Tyrrell  2
Affiliations

Effects of physical activity and sedentary time on depression, anxiety and well-being: a bidirectional Mendelian randomisation study

Francesco Casanova et al. BMC Med. .

Abstract

Background: Mental health conditions represent one of the major groups of non-transmissible diseases. Physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) have been shown to affect mental health outcomes in opposite directions. In this study, we use accelerometery-derived measures of PA and ST from the UK Biobank (UKB) and depression, anxiety and well-being data from the UKB mental health questionnaire as well as published summary statistics to explore the causal associations between these phenotypes.

Methods: We used MRlap to test if objectively measured PA and ST associate with mental health outcomes using UKB data and summary statistics from published genome-wide association studies. We also tested for bidirectional associations. We performed sex stratified as well as sensitivity analyses.

Results: Genetically instrumented higher PA was associated with lower odds of depression (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.88, 0.97) and depression severity (beta = - 0.11; 95% CI: - 0.18, - 0.04), Genetically instrumented higher ST was associated higher odds of anxiety (OR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.10, 4.60). PA was associated with higher well-being (beta = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.04; 0.18) and ST with lower well-being (beta = - 0.18; 95% CI: - 0.32, - 0.03). Similar findings were observed when stratifying by sex. There was evidence for a bidirectional relationship, with higher genetic liability to depression associated with lower PA (beta = - 0.25, 95% CI: - 0.42; - 0.08) and higher well-being associated with higher PA (beta = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.25).

Conclusions: We have demonstrated the bidirectional effects of both PA and ST on a range of mental health outcomes using objectively measured predictors and MR methods for causal inference. Our findings support a causal role for PA and ST in the development of mental health problems and in affecting well-being.

Keywords: Mendelian randomisation; Mental health; Physical activity; Well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Forest plot of the results of the Mendelian randomisation analysis (MRlap) using genetically instrumented physical activity as exposure and binary (left) and continuous (right) outcome. Data represent standard deviation change in outcome per standard deviation change in exposure
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of the results of the Mendelian randomisation analysis (MRlap) using genetically instrumented sedentary time as exposure and binary (left) and continuous (right) outcome. Data represent standard deviation change in outcome per standard deviation change in exposure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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