BBC: Reduce risk of depression

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. 

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, www.learningenglish.com  okay, 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. 

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?

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. 

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 Can Fight Depression. 

And that headline again from the Times, 7,000 Steps to Happiness: How a Daily Stroll Can Fight Depression. 

Now the headline is about this new study's suggestion that a daily stroll could be good for our mental health. 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 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?

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. 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. 

Ah, so many good ones. Shall we go for a stroll now, Georgie?

No, Beth, we've got two more headlines to talk about. 

Oh, okay. 

We've had stroll, a relaxed, leisurely walk. 

For example, we went for a stroll around the old town to admire the architecture. 

This is Learning Englihs from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we're talking about a new study linking a higher stip count to lower risk of depression. 

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. 

Which is fewer than the 10,000 steps that has been popularly thought of as the best number. 

Okay, 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. 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. 

Okay, now imagine a notice board with a big map on it. If I geve 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, so that is the literal meaning of pinpoint: to precisely locate something physically. 

Okay, 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. 

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 had pinpoint, identify something precisely. 

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 hwo increasing your daily steps may lower your risk of depression.