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Episode: 7,000 steps can reduce risk of depression

Author: BBC Radio
Duration: 00:08:48

Episode Shownotes

People who have a higher daily step count have a lower risk of depression, according to a new global study.SUBTITLES AND WORKSHEET Find full subtitles and a worksheet for this episode at: ``https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish`/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2024/2411218` FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus LIKE PODCASTS? Try

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Full Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker_00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

00:00:04 Speaker_02
From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. In this programme, 7,000 steps a day can reduce your risk of depression, global study reveals. Hello, I'm Georgie. And I'm Beth.

00:00:22 Speaker_02
In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it. You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

00:00:37 Speaker_02
OK, let's hear more about this story. People who have a higher daily step count, that's the number of steps you walk per day, have a lower risk of depression, according to a new meta-analysis.

00:00:53 Speaker_02
Yes, a meta-analysis is a study that pulls together the results of lots of different research projects. But walking improves mental health, isn't that something we already knew?

00:01:03 Speaker_02
Well, previous research had found that walking more was linked to better heart health and a longer life in general, but this new study might add mental health to that list too.

00:01:14 Speaker_02
The authors suggest that a daily active lifestyle might help to lower the risk of depression in adults. Let's have our first headline. This one is from The Times in the UK. 7,000 steps to happiness. How a daily stroll can fight depression.

00:01:29 Speaker_02
And that headline again from The Times. 7,000 steps to happiness. How a daily stroll can fight depression. Now this headline is about this new study's suggestion that a daily stroll could be good for our mental health.

00:01:44 Speaker_02
Daily means you do it every day, but Beth, we're looking at this word stroll. What can you tell us about it? Well, stroll is another word for walk, but it's a bit more specific. It means to walk in a relaxed, leisurely way. So

00:01:59 Speaker_02
What do you think is more important when you're strolling, Georgie? The destination or the experience? Well, you said stroll is about relaxing, so I guess we walk for the experience of walking. And Beth, how is it used?

00:02:14 Speaker_02
Well, in the headline it's a noun, a daily stroll, and we often hear the combination go for a stroll or let's go for a stroll. Yes, and like the word walk, it's also used as a verb.

00:02:26 Speaker_02
For example, I strolled through the city streets after work to wind down. And we have a lot of different words for walking in a relaxing way, don't we? Yes, we do. We have amble, saunter, meander and wander. So many good ones.

00:02:42 Speaker_02
Shall we go for a stroll now, Georgie? No, Beth, we've got two more headlines to talk about. We've had stroll – a relaxed, leisurely walk. For example, we went for a stroll around the old town to admire the architecture.

00:03:03 Speaker_02
This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we're talking about a new study linking a higher step count to lower risk of depression.

00:03:14 Speaker_02
The study found that those who walked 7,000 daily steps had a much lower chance of depression than those who walked 5,000 daily steps or fewer. This might mean that 7,000 steps is enough to have a positive effect on our mental health.

00:03:30 Speaker_02
which is fewer than the 10,000 steps that has been popularly thought of as the best number. Let's have our next headline. OK, this one's from the Daily Mail. Experts pinpoint the precise number of daily steps you need to take to beat depression.

00:03:45 Speaker_02
Spoiler alert, it's not 10,000. And that headline again from the Daily Mail. Experts pinpoint the precise number of daily steps you need to take to beat depression. Spoiler alert, it's not 10,000.

00:03:59 Speaker_02
OK, this headline is about the number of steps that are supposed to reduce your risk of depression. We're looking at the word Pinpoint. Yes, it's a verb here. Experts pinpoint the precise number, is what the headline says.

00:04:14 Speaker_02
And Georgie, I think it'll help if we break this word pinpoint down. Yes, we've got pin, which is a very thin, sharp metal object. And then we've got point, which in this context is the sharp end of that pin.

00:04:28 Speaker_02
OK, now imagine a notice board with a big map on it. If I gave you a pin and asked you to pinpoint London on the map, Where would you put the pin? Well, Beth, I would put the pin precisely in the middle of London. Exactly.

00:04:44 Speaker_02
So that is the literal meaning of pinpoint, to precisely locate something physically. OK, but these researchers aren't locating things with a pin on a map. Here, experts pinpoint the number is used metaphorically to mean identify something precisely.

00:05:01 Speaker_02
and we often hear it in combination with problem, pinpoint a problem. For example, we need to pinpoint the problem with the car before we can fix it. We've heard pinpoint, identify something precisely.

00:05:17 Speaker_02
For example, it's difficult to pinpoint the moment when their friendship started to fall apart. This is Learning English from the News, from BBC Learning English. We're talking about how increasing your daily steps may lower your risk of depression.

00:05:37 Speaker_02
One of the study's authors says, getting more daily steps promotes mental health by enhancing brain function, improving mood, reducing stress and encouraging positive behaviours.

00:05:48 Speaker_02
But the authors also make it clear that just because people with a higher step count had a lower risk of depression, it doesn't mean that it's the 7,000 steps that cause that lower risk of depression. OK, Beth, let's have another headline.

00:06:03 Speaker_02
OK, this is from Medical Express. Walking away from depression. How daily steps improve mental health. that headline again, walking away from depression, how daily steps improve mental health. And that's from Medical Express.

00:06:20 Speaker_02
We're interested in this phrasal verb, walk away from. Now, Beth, this seems simple. If there's a bad smell, I walk away from it. Or if you say something mean to me, I'll walk away from you. OK, well, that is the literal sense.

00:06:33 Speaker_02
But you can't physically walk away from depression, like in the headline, can you? No. So this is the metaphorical sense. Walk away from someone or something means to leave an unpleasant situation or person. Yes.

00:06:47 Speaker_02
For example, walking away from a bad relationship means finally breaking up with someone who wasn't treating you well. Yes, or you can walk away from a job you don't like by quitting.

00:06:59 Speaker_02
So walk away from depression, metaphorically, means to not be depressed anymore. But you may have noticed there's a double meaning here.

00:07:07 Speaker_02
Yes, because we're talking about a study about walking to reduce the risk of depression, it has a literal meaning as well. Literally walking to get rid of depression. We've had walk away from someone or something.

00:07:25 Speaker_02
Leave an unpleasant situation or person. For example, I had to finally walk away from my jewellery business because it wasn't making any money. I didn't know you had a jewellery business. That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

00:07:39 Speaker_02
We'll be back next week with another news story. And if you enjoyed learning that final phrasal verb, walk away from, we have a whole series on phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs with Georgie. That's you. Yes, that's me.

00:07:52 Speaker_02
You can find it on our website bbclearningenglish.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media. Just search BBC Learning English. Bye for now. Bye.

00:08:08 Speaker_00
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00:09:43 Speaker_03
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00:10:03 Speaker_05
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00:11:03 Speaker_03
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