https://www.dpa-international.com/trends-and-features/urn:newsml:dpa.com:20090101:260110-99-128925/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/exercise-similar-effect-therapy-study-145827447.html
The estimated 280 million people worldwide who suffer from depression could have a treatment option that not only saves on pricey therapy sessions and pills but makes them fitter and stronger at the same time.
That’s according to researchers from the University of Lancashire, who concluded that exercise has “a similar effect on depressive symptoms” to therapy following their examination of 73 randomized control trials involving around 5,000 patients.
Not all of those who are diagnosed as depressive opt for medication or therapy. But such cases could do worse than develop a gym habit or become a regular runner.
And while the trials were less conclusive when it came to comparing exercise with medication, the team found getting fitter to have a “similar effect” to antidepressants.
Exercise has a “moderate impact” on symptoms “compared with no treatment or a control intervention,” the researchers found, in a paper published by the Cochrane Review.
Whether fitness works long-term remains difficult to assess, however, as there is little by way of data to assess.
Moderate-intensity exercise appears to be the best option for patients who want to use working out as a substitute for therapists or meds. But the rigor needed depends in turn on the patient’s level of fitness.
“Our findings suggest that exercise appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression,” said Andrew Clegg of the University of Lancashire.
“This suggests that exercise works well for some people, but not for everyone, and finding approaches that individuals are willing and able to maintain is important,” Clegg explained.
