Researchers at the University of South Australia are calling for exercise to be a key approach to managing depression as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counseling or major medications.
The results of the study have been published in the dedicated magazine British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Physical activity: here are the effects on mental suffering
The review is the most comprehensive to date, comprising 97 reviews, 1,039 studies, and 128,119 participants. It shows that physical activity is extremely helpful in improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress.
Specifically, the review showed that physical activity interventions of 12 weeks or shorter were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, highlighting how quickly physical activity can make a change.
The greatest benefits were seen among people with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy people, and people diagnosed with HIV or kidney disease.
According to the World Health Organization, one in eight people worldwide (970 million people) live with a mental disorder. Poor mental health costs the world economy an estimated $2.5 trillion each year, a cost expected to rise to $6 trillion by 2030. In Australia, it is estimated that one in five people (aged 16-85 ) have suffered from a mental disorder in the last 12 months.
UniSA’s lead researcher, Dr. Ben Singh, says physical activity must be prioritized to better manage the growing cases of mental health conditions.
“Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. However, despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment,” says Dr. Singh. “Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement.
“High-intensity fii activity had greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects than short- and medium-duration bursts.
“We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercises such as walking, resistance training, Pilates and yoga.
“Importantly, research shows that it doesn’t take long for exercise to make a positive change in your mental health.”
Senior researcher Prof Carol Maher of UniSA says the study is the first to evaluate the effects of all types of physical activity on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in all adult populations. “Examining these studies together is an effective way for clinicians to easily understand the body of evidence that supports physical activity in the management of mental health disorders.
“We hope this review underscores the need for physical activity, including structured exercise interventions, as a foundational approach to managing depression and anxiety.”
In another study, a team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong, working with a colleague from Sun Yat Sen University in China and another from Georgia State University in the United States, found that regular physical activity such as Aerobic exercise can reduce symptoms in adolescents suffering from depression.
In their article published on JAMA Pediatrics , the team describes analyzing data from several medical databases to learn more about the impact of regular exercise on young people. Eduardo Bustamante, María Enid Santiago-Rodríguez and Jared Ramer of the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Michigan and the University of Massachusetts, respectively, published an editorial in the same issue of the journal summarizing the findings of recent years on the health benefits of physical activity for people at large and outline the team’s work on this new effort.
Previous research has suggested that regular physical activity can provide a range of health benefits for most people, including improved mood and reduced mental stress. In this new effort, researchers have found that regular exercise for young people over the age of 13 with depression can lead to a reduction in symptoms.
The work involved analyzing information in the EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHI, and SPORTDiscus databases, focusing specifically on symptom-related changes in youth diagnosed with depression who initiated physical activity such as swimming, dancing, or race.
Researchers found that engaging in regular aerobic physical activity significantly reduced symptoms of depression in young people over the age of 13 diagnosed with depression. The researchers also found that the activity had to be regular, such as three times a week, and had to continue; if not, the symptoms have returned.
The group also conducted a secondary analysis focusing on which young people would derive the greatest mental health benefits from exercise. They found that these were young people over the age of 13 who had already been diagnosed with depression.
The researchers also found that the mental health benefits appeared to be greatest with unsupervised exercise programs. And the intensity didn’t seem to matter much. What mattered most was the regularity of physical activity.
Other studies have shown that physical activity can help reduce the risk of getting many common types of cancer. But what many of us don’t realize is how important physical activity is if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer.
While patients were previously told to rest during cancer treatment, the overwhelming body of evidence now shows that physical activity is safe and beneficial during cancer treatment and beyond. The World Health Organization also supports physical activity for people with chronic diseases, including cancer.
Here are five ways physical activity could benefit patients during and after cancer treatment.
1.Support mental health.A cancer diagnosis can be extremely emotional, and patients can feel uncertainty and fear about the diagnosis and treatment. Research shows that many patients experience increased feelings of anxiety and depression, along with a reduced quality of life. This can occur soon after diagnosis, during treatment, and in some cases continues for years after treatment is complete.
But many studies have shown that physical activity during and after cancer treatment can help manage these mental health issues, as well as improve patients’ self-esteem and overall mood.
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking) two to three times a week combined with muscle strengthening (such as Pilates or weight lifting) has been shown to significantly reduce anxiety and depression in people who suffer from many different types of cancer, including breast, prostate, colorectal, gynecological, and lung cancers.
2. It can reduce the feeling of fatigue.Fatigue is one of the most frequently reported side effects associated with cancer and its treatment, which can have a serious impact on a cancer patient’s daily life and physical, emotional and mental well-being.
Research shows that regular physical activity can help reduce feelings of fatigue. Evidence suggests that moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity that combines both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities two to three times a week is helpful for reducing fatigue in those diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer.
3. It can help you cope with therapies.Many studies have shown that patients who are able to tolerate the prescribed dose of chemotherapy have a better prognosis. However, the dose of chemotherapy that patients receive is often reduced due to a variety of treatment-related side effects and complications they experience.
Encouragingly, some studies suggest that breast cancer patients who completed muscle strengthening or a combination of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities during treatment were less likely to need chemotherapy dose reductions. Evidence for a link between physical activity and chemotherapy is still emerging and research is ongoing.
4. Can prevent hospitalization. Treatment for cancer, including surgery and chemotherapy, can lead to complications for some people, which may require hospitalization. But research suggests that for breast cancer patients, physical activity may reduce the risk of hospitalization.
Researchers asked participants to take part in a 16-week program of combined muscle-strengthening and interval training that was performed twice a week while receiving chemotherapy. They found that the group who performed a combination of strength and interval training had a 3% lower incidence of hospitalization than those who were inactive.
5. Could reduce the risk of recurrence and improve survival.A large review of 18 reviews of physical activity among cancer patients found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with a reduced risk of cancer recurrence and up to 40%-50% improved survival.
Many cancer patients avoid physical activity because they are not sure what is safe for them to do. But the World Health Organization recommends that all cancer patients should avoid being inactive both during and after treatment.
Instead, she says adult cancer patients should aim to complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week that gets the heart rate up (like brisk walking, biking, and dancing). He also recommended that patients aim to do muscle-strengthening exercises (such as weight lifting or yoga) at least twice a week.
While it can often be difficult to schedule time to be physically active, especially during treatment, even small amounts of physical activity spaced out throughout the day is important for health.
Some easy ways to include more activity into your day include getting off the bus a stop early or hunkered down while you wait for the kettle to boil. This form of activity can also be beneficial for cancer patients who are feeling fatigued, as it requires only a few minutes at a time throughout the day.
For those being treated for cancer, it’s important to remember that some days will be better than others. Take it easy on the days you don’t feel well. On days when you feel a little better, try to increase the amount of exercise you do a little.
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It’s important to stay hydrated, not overdo it, and listen to your body. You may find it more enjoyable to be active if you involve friends and family.
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