Moderate exercise is an effective drug for treating major depression, suggests new research



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(AP Photo / Jae C. Hong)

A new research analysis suggests that moderate aerobic exercise might be one of the most effective approaches available to treat major depression. This is the latest in a compelling research report showing that exercise, perhaps more than any other method, can serve as a brake on a tenacious disease that affects millions of people, with tens of thousands of new patients each year.

The study was a meta-analysis of several clinical trials involving just over 450 patients aged 18 to 65 years. The researchers selected 11 trials in total, from a larger group of studies. During the trials, participants completed approximately 45 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for just over nine weeks.

The results showed a significant and significant antidepressant effect resulting from aerobic exercises comparable to or even superior to the usual antidepressant results. The results also showed antidepressant effects for only four weeks of exercise, but not as much as nine weeks.

The types of aerobic exercises covered in the trials included walking, cycling, swimming, and jogging. While the trials were supervised, the frequency and duration of the sessions were typical of a moderate workout.

"Together, this study found that supervised aerobic exercises could significantly support the treatment of major depression in mental health services," said Dr. Ioannis D. Morres, lead author of the study. , from the University of Thessaly, Greece.

The research is consistent with recent discoveries in The lancet suggesting that people who exercise regularly report fewer days of poor mental health each month than those who do not.

Similar to the last study, about 45 minutes per session, three to five times a week, represented the best result in terms of exercise. Exercising more and more intensely did not bring additional benefits. In fact, physical exercise for more than 90 minutes per session, for three weeks per month, was associated with worst Mental Health.

"Exercise is associated with a lower mental health burden for people of all ages, races, sexes, incomes and levels of education," said Dr. Adam Chekroud, lead author of the study, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. believed that the more exercise we had, the better the mental health, but our study suggests that this is not the case.

Although this study also found that exercise such as cycling, running, and aerobics at the gym yielded results, the greatest benefits were associated with team sports. Researchers believe that the social connection element of these sports provides something missing from individual exercise routines.

"Our conclusion that team sports are associated with the lowest mental health burden may indicate that social activities promote resilience and reduce depression by reducing social withdrawal and isolation, which confers to social sports an advantage over others, "added Dr. Chekroud.

The lancet This study, which involved more than 1.2 million people, is weakened by the fact that the results were self-reported. It depended on people telling the truth about their feelings of being good or bad, and speculating on how often their feelings were changing – much to ask of any human, even the more or less consistent among we. But as the results are exceptionally correlated with a growing list of searches, like the first study presented in this article, the fragility of self-reporting may mean a little less.

Overall, science suggests a conclusion that is hard to ignore: as our collective picture of mental health continues to crumble, a moderate exercise could be the glue we have been looking for from the beginning.

The studies were published in the journal Depression and anxiety and The lancet, respectively.

You can find David DiSalvo on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plusand on his website, daviddisalvo.org.

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A new research analysis suggests that moderate aerobic exercise might be one of the most effective approaches available to treat major depression. This is the latest in a compelling research report showing that exercise, perhaps more than any other method, can serve as a brake on a tenacious disease that affects millions of people, with tens of thousands of new patients each year.

The study was a meta-analysis of several clinical trials involving just over 450 patients aged 18 to 65 years. The researchers selected 11 trials in total, from a larger group of studies. During the trials, participants completed approximately 45 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for just over nine weeks.

The results showed a significant and significant antidepressant effect resulting from aerobic exercises comparable to or even superior to the usual antidepressant results. The results also showed antidepressant effects for only four weeks of exercise, but not as much as nine weeks.

The types of aerobic exercises covered in the trials included walking, cycling, swimming, and jogging. While the trials were supervised, the frequency and duration of the sessions were typical of a moderate workout.

"Together, this study found that supervised aerobic exercises could significantly support the treatment of major depression in mental health services," said Dr. Ioannis D. Morres, lead author of the study. , from the University of Thessaly, Greece.

The research is consistent with recent discoveries in The lancet suggesting that people who exercise regularly report fewer days of poor mental health each month than those who do not.

Similar to the last study, about 45 minutes per session, three to five times a week, represented the best result in terms of exercise. Exercising more and more intensely did not bring additional benefits. In fact, physical exercise for more than 90 minutes per session, for three weeks per month, was associated with worst Mental Health.

"Exercise is associated with a lower mental health burden for people of all ages, races, sexes, incomes and levels of education," said Dr. Adam Chekroud, lead author of the study, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. believed that the more exercise we had, the better the mental health, but our study suggests that this is not the case.

Although this study also found that exercise such as cycling, running, and aerobics at the gym yielded results, the greatest benefits were associated with team sports. Researchers believe that the social connection element of these sports provides something missing from individual exercise routines.

"Our conclusion that team sports are associated with the lowest mental health burden may indicate that social activities promote resilience and reduce depression by reducing social withdrawal and isolation, which confers to social sports an advantage over others, "added Dr. Chekroud.

The lancet This study, which involved more than 1.2 million people, is weakened by the fact that the results were self-reported. It depended on people telling the truth about their feelings of being good or bad, and speculating on how often their feelings were changing – much to ask of any human, even the more or less consistent among we. But as the results are exceptionally correlated with a growing list of searches, like the first study presented in this article, the fragility of self-reporting may mean a little less.

Overall, science suggests a conclusion that is hard to ignore: as our collective picture of mental health continues to crumble, a moderate exercise could be the glue we have been looking for from the beginning.

The studies were published in the journal Depression and anxiety and The lancet, respectively.

You can find David DiSalvo on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plusand on his website, daviddisalvo.org.

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