Exercise on par with drugs for fighting depression

Did you know that regular exercise may work as well as medication in improving symptoms of major depression? This is exactly what was found in a new study on exercise and depression published in the September issue of Psychosomatic Medicine and reported in Reuters Health.

The exact reasons on how exercise combats depression are still unknown. Theories include physical activity affecting either nervous system chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin (which are targets of antidepressant drugs) or perhaps impacting brain neurotrophins, which are known to transmit signals in brain regions related to mood. Researchers note that exercise might also promote positive thinking and feelings of self-efficacy.

The new findings bolster evidence that exercise does have a real effect on depression..

Doctors may not start widely prescribing exercise as a depression treatment just yet. But for patients who are motivated to try exercise, it could be a reasonable option, the study authors say.

"If exercise were a drug, I'm not sure that it would receive FDA approval at this time," noted study author Dr. James A. Blumenthal, a professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

"But," he told Reuters Health, "there is certainly growing evidence that exercise may be a viable alternative to medication, at least among those patients who are receptive to exercise as a potential treatment for their depression."

By the end of the study, Blumenthal's team found, 47 percent of patients on the antidepressant no longer met the criteria for major depression. The same was true of 45 percent of those in the supervised exercise group.

While motivation to exercise may be lacking for depression sufferers, it is important for those trying to help sufferers the potential benefits of exercise.