Danka Martin N, Steptoe Andrew, Iob Eleonora
Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, UK; Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK.
Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, UK.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2025 Sep;179:107515. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107515. Epub 2025 Jun 9.
Depression and anxiety impose a significant burden on older adults. While the protective effects of physical activity (PA) are well-documented, less is known about the interplay between PA, low-grade inflammation, and mental health. Biobehavioural mechanisms underpinning mental health may become more prominent when encountering novel stressors, which were particularly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging data of a national sample of older adults from England, this study tested (1) if pre-pandemic PA and its changes during the pandemic were associated with mental health responses; (2) if older adults with low-grade inflammation experienced greater increases in depression and anxiety, compared to pre-pandemic levels; (3) if PA attenuated the inflammation-mental health associations.
The study used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a cohort study following a national sample aged 50 + (N = 5829). Information on mental health and PA was collected before the pandemic (2016/17 and 2018/19) and during November and December 2020. Inflammation was ascertained using pre-pandemic C-reactive protein (CRP). Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related factors and pre-pandemic mental health.
Increasing PA from before to during the pandemic was linked to reduced odds of depression (OR = 0.955, 95 % CI [0.937; 0.974]) and anxiety (OR = 0.954, 95 % CI [0.927; 0.982]). Higher pre-pandemic PA was associated with reduced odds of depression (OR = 0.964, 95 % CI [0.948; 0.981]) and anxiety (OR = 0.976, 95 % CI [0.953; 1.000]), whereas elevated CRP was associated with 1.343 times higher odds of depression (95 % CI [1.100; 1.641]). PA did not attenuate the inflammation-depression association.
The findings suggest that PA may contribute to psychological resilience against stressful life events among older adults but does not appear to mitigate the adverse effects of systemic inflammation on mental health. Further research is needed to explore the psychobiological pathways underlying this protective mechanism.
抑郁和焦虑给老年人带来了沉重负担。虽然体育活动（PA）的保护作用已有充分记录，但关于PA、低度炎症和心理健康之间的相互作用，我们了解得较少。当遇到新的压力源时，支撑心理健康的生物行为机制可能会变得更加突出，而在新冠疫情期间，这类压力源尤为普遍。本研究利用来自英格兰的全国老年人样本数据，检验了以下几点：（1）疫情前的体育活动及其在疫情期间的变化是否与心理健康反应相关；（2）与疫情前水平相比，患有低度炎症的老年人抑郁和焦虑的增加幅度是否更大；（3）体育活动是否减弱了炎症与心理健康之间的关联。
本研究使用了英国老龄化纵向研究的数据，这是一项对50岁及以上全国样本（N = 5829）进行跟踪的队列研究。在疫情前（2016/17年和2018/19年）以及2020年11月和12月收集了心理健康和体育活动的信息。使用疫情前的C反应蛋白（CRP）来确定炎症情况。分析对社会人口统计学和健康相关因素以及疫情前的心理健康进行了调整。
从疫情前到疫情期间体育活动的增加与抑郁几率降低（OR = 0.955，95%置信区间[0.937；0.974]）和焦虑几率降低（OR = 0.954，95%置信区间[0.927；0.982]）相关。疫情前较高的体育活动与抑郁几率降低（OR = 0.964，95%置信区间[0.948；0.981]）和焦虑几率降低（OR = 0.976，95%置信区间[0.953；1.000]）相关，而CRP升高与抑郁几率高出1.343倍相关（95%置信区间[1.100；1.641]）。体育活动并未减弱炎症与抑郁之间的关联。
研究结果表明，体育活动可能有助于老年人应对压力性生活事件的心理恢复力，但似乎并不能减轻全身炎症对心理健康的不利影响。需要进一步研究来探索这种保护机制背后的心理生物学途径。
