College students who exercise and eat healthy tend to have less anxiety

A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology has found that physical activity, combined with healthy lifestyle habits and proper dietary nutrition, is associated with reduced anxiety levels in college students.

Anxiety disorders are a common mental health issue among college students, with increased vulnerability to conditions such as substance abuse and obesity.

Previous studies have demonstrated that physical activity can help alleviate anxiety. Compared to medications, it is a favorable intervention as it is low cost, with high compliance, and minimal side effects.

Research has also alluded to diet and lifestyle habits (such as adequate sleep and regular relaxation) as having strong links with anxiety. Hence, this current study aimed to better understand how physical activity, lifestyle habits, and dietary nutrition interact to influence anxiety levels.

Based in Thailand’s Silpakorn University, the researchers Dezhuo Sun, Xiangfei Zhu and Zhonghan Bao surveyed 498 college students (236 males and 262 females, between 18 and 20 years old) from three universities in Fujian, China.

Free daily newsletter

Surveys were administered to collect data on demographics, physical activity levels, lifestyle habits, and dietary nutrition. The students were asked a variety of questions such as, “Can you do more vigorous exercise for 30 minutes at least three times a week?“, “Do you have a regular start time each day?”, “Do you consciously choose light and less salty foods?”, and ““In the past two weeks, you have not felt nervous, anxious, or eager?”

Following data analysis, the findings revealed that both dietary nutrition and lifestyle habits play significant roles in mediating the effects of physical activity on anxiety.

Physical activity alone accounted for 36.93% of the reduction in anxiety levels. “Physical exercise is effective in increasing cerebral blood flow, … inhibiting the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and effectively stimulating the central nervous system, thereby alleviating anxiety and other negative emotions.”

Moreover, both dietary nutrition and lifestyle habits independently accounted for 24.9% of the total effect.

A mechanism for this was proposed: “A healthy diet provides the body with the nutrients … which play an important role in the synthesis and regulation … of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which in turn regulate mood and reduce anxiety symptoms.

“A regular schedule and adequate sleep can help maintain the body’s biological clock and rhythms, increase the body’s resistance and coping ability, and reduce stress and anxiety,” the researchers added.

The authors concluded, “when college students face mental health issues such as anxiety, most choose to self-manage and self-heal rather than directly seek professional counseling or medication, which may be related to the high cost of treatment and low levels of anxiety. This makes the conclusions of this study all the more important. … This type of conditioning is not only affordable, but also an important reference for the self-management and rehabilitation of college students with anxiety disorders.”

The study has some limitations that should be noted. The sample was limited to freshmen and sophomores, which may not be representative of all college students. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of the data means that causal relationships cannot be inferred. The questionnaires utilized were simplified to prioritize high response rates, which may have affected the comprehensiveness of the data collected.

The study, “The relationship between physical activity and anxiety in college students: exploring the mediating role of lifestyle habits and dietary nutrition,” was authored by Dezhuo Sun, Xiangfei Zhu, and Zhonghan Bao.