February 27, 2023 – Exercise could also be simpler than therapy or medication in treating depression and anxiety, based on researchers in Australia.
In a study by which participants exercised often for as much as 12 weeks, they were 1.5 times more more likely to experience improvement in depression, anxiety or mental health problems than those treated with therapy or leading medications. The findings should encourage healthcare professionals to think about physical activity as a primary treatment option, the researchers say.
“Higher intensity exercise led to greater improvements in depression and anxiety, while longer exercise sessions had smaller effects compared to short and medium-length sessions,” says researcher Ben Singh, PhD, in a opinion“We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise are beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, strength training, Pilates and yoga.”
The study was published this month in British Journal of Sports Medicine. The researchers evaluated data from greater than 1,000 previous studies involving a complete of 128,119 people.
They found that exercise had the best positive effect on mental health when people were affected by depression, HIV or kidney disease. Pregnant women and people within the postpartum period were also very more likely to have improved mental health through exercise.
“Research shows that it doesn’t take much to have a positive impact on mental health through exercise,” says Singh.
According to the World Health Organization.