Can workout beat depression drugs?
Working out can eliminate signs of depression in people who are already taking medication, but still having symptoms, according to a new University of Texas study.
“About 70 percent of people on medication will still have signs of depression,” explains study author Madhukar Trivedi, M.D., professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “One treatment usually leads to improvement, not remission.”
In the study, 28 percent of people who worked out on a treadmill or stationary bike for 30 to 45 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week eliminated their symptoms. When another group exercised 2 to 3 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes, 16 percent saw symptoms disappear. “When we compared to other studies, we even found that exercise was just as effective as taking an additional medication,” says Dr. Trivedi.
This was especially true for men. Researchers found that men had a very low remission rate when they exercised only a little, but a high rate when they exercised a lot. (Women were less polarized.)
Researchers aren’t quite sure why depressed men need more exercise, but it certainly effects your hormones. “Exercise releases serotonin, which can help reduce symptoms of depression,” explains Dr. Trivedi. “We think that the feeling of accomplishment plays a role, too.”
If you’re feeling low, sign up for a 5K to boost both your serotonin and confidence, or better yet, hire a personal trainer to give you customized training program and workout routines.
Trivedi also notes that exercise can’t replace a doctor when it comes to depression treatment. “Think of it like diabetes,” he says. “You’d eat right, but you’d still go for check-ups.”
Don’t despair if you cannot fit in the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise. Growing evidence suggests that even half that much can help.
It’s still no excuse to slack off. Regular exercise strengthens muscles, reduces the risk of some diseases and promotes mental well-being. The more exercise, the better.
However, not everyone has the time or willpower. So researchers set out to find the minimum amount of physical activity needed to reap health benefits. The findings by a study in Taiwan suggest just 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day can lead to a longer life.
This “may convince many individuals that they are able to incorporate physical activity into their busy lives,” Anil Nigam of the University of Montreal said in an e-mail.
Nigam had no role in the research, but wrote an editorial accompanying the Taiwanese study published online on Monday in The Lancet.
Fitness guidelines by the WHO, the US and other countries recommend that adults get at least a half-hour of moderate workout most days of the week. This can include brisk walking, bike riding and water aerobics.
Realizing that it might be difficult for some to break a sweat, health groups have suggested breaking it down into smaller, more manageable chunks of time such as three 10-minute spurts a day on weekdays.
The latest study, a large one led by researchers at the National Health Research Institutes, sought to determine if exercising less than the recommended half-hour was still helpful.
The researchers said that east Asians — including Taiwanese, Chinese and Japanese — are generally less physically active than their Western counterparts and their workouts tend to be less intense.
About 416,000 Taiwanese adults were asked how much exercise they did the previous month. Based on their answers, they were put into five groups of varying activity levels from inactive to highly active.
Researchers kept track of their progress for eight years on average and calculated projected life expectancy.
The study found those who exercised just 15 minutes a day — or 90 minutes a week — cut their risk of death by 14 percent and extended their life expectancy by three years compared with those who did no exercise. Both men and women benefited equally from the minimum activity.
Each additional 15 minutes of exercise reduced the risk of death by another 4 percent compared with the inactive group.
Researchers did not report how additional exercise affected life expectancy.
There were some limitations. Answers were self-reported. The study, though large, was observational, which means the health benefits may not be entirely due to exercise.
However, researchers said they took into account other factors that might affect health such as smoking and drinking. And outside scientists said the findings are in line with other studies.
For the sedentary, the key is this: Some exercise is better than none.
“Get off the couch and start moving,” I-Min Lee of the Harvard School of Public Health said.
People should strive to do the recommended level of exercise, but should not be discouraged if they can’t achieve it right away. Start slow and gradually build up.
“As inactive persons start moving, they may very well find that they become more fit” and reaching their exercise goal becomes easier, Lee said.
###
Sign up for FREE 'Jump-Start Your Body!' Workout and Nutrition Program.
Free Reports on The Dark Side and Cardio and Sample Fat Burning Workout.
