Aerobic Exercises Work as Antidepressants: Study

Aerobic Exercises Work as Antidepressants: Study

Guwahati: Gone are the days of depression as here comes a new way to combat this prolonged mental disorder. A new study has revealed that supervised aerobic exercises have large antidepressant treatment effects for patients with major depression. Well, people suffering from depression can now overcome it through aerobics on a regular basis.

It needs to be mentioned here that, the systematic review and meta-analysis were published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety. Across 11 eligible trials involving 455 adult patients (18-65 years old) with major depression as a primary disorder, supervised aerobic exercise was performed on average for 45 minutes, at moderate intensity, 3 times per week, and for 9.2 weeks. This showed a significantly large overall antidepressant effect compared with antidepressant medication and/or psychological therapies.

Also, aerobic exercise revealed moderate-to-large antidepressant effects among trials with a lower risk of bias, as well as large antidepressant effects among trials with short-term interventions (up to 4 weeks) and trials involving preferences for exercise.

Subgroup analyses also revealed comparable effects for aerobic exercise across various settings and delivery formats, and in both outpatients and inpatients regardless of symptom severity.

"Collectively, this study has found that supervised aerobic exercise can significantly support major depression treatment in mental health services," said lead author Dr Ioannis D. Morres, of the University of Thessaly, in Greece.

It may be noted that depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how one feels, thinks and behaves and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. One may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes one may feel as if life isn't worth living. There are a number of people who suffer from depression and there are several causes that lead to this mental ailment. Depression is estimated to affect approximately 20 per cent of the population at some point in their lives. However, now as the new study suggests, there is an easy way out to combat it. Aerobic exercises are a drug-free alternative to antidepressants. Aerobic exercise if done consecutively can help beat depression and allow one to live a healthy lifestyle.

So, next time you are feeling depressed or see anybody around you suffering from depression, remember to go for aerobic exercises to overcome this ailment and lead a carefree life. A world free from depression will definitely be a better world.

Top Headlines

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com