Exercise reduces symptoms of depression

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study reveals that aerobic exercise is an effective treatment for depression.
Previous research has shown that exercise helps to lift mood. Now a team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center reveals that exercise alone is as effective as antidepressants or cognitive therapy for depression.

A group of 80 people did either moderately intense aerobic exercise, low intensity exercise, or stretching exercises for either three or five days a week. Depressive symptoms were reduced 50 per cent among those doing moderate exercise and by 30 per cent among those doing low intensity exercise. Flexibility exercises reduced depression by 29 per cent. Clearly exercise is a good treatment for depression, according to this small study. And the more vigorous the better - although it also looks as if any exercise at all is likely to have some benefit on depression.

Source
American Journal of Preventive Medicine January 2005