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Can Exercise Reduce Depression?
Three-decade study finds link between depression and exercise
Adults who are physically active at age 23 tend to experience fewer depressive symptoms as they age, while those who engage in less physical activity at that age are more likely to see their depressive symptoms increase throughout adulthood, according to a British cohort study of 11,000 adults born during the same week in 1958.
Researchers analyzed self-reported data on depressive symptoms and physical activity frequency collected at ages 23, 33, 42, or 50 years and found a bidirectional effect between exercise and depression. The more physical activity per week, the lower the mean number of depressive symptoms a person experienced by age 50 years.
If a person was inactive at 23 years of age and remained inactive 5 years later, there was no change in symptom level. However, if the person increased physical activity to three times a week, there was a lower mean number of depressive symptoms. Although the investigators noted that these differences equaled an estimated odds reduction by as much as 19%, the relationship between symptoms and activity was seen to weaken with age.
For more about this study, click here.
Citation: Pinto Pereira SM, Geoffroy MC, Power C. Depressive symptoms and physical activity during 3 decades in adult life: bidirectional associations in a prospective cohort study. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.1240.
Commentary: Exercise is linked to a lower incidence of depression in epidemiologic studies. A Cochrane Review 4 years ago showed that exercise has a large clinical effect in improving depression.1 In addition, we know that this works not just for young people, but even for older adults with chronic disease.2 This study adds to the existent data showing the protective effect of exercise in young adults decreasing depression over time. –Neil Skolnik, MD
1. Mead GE, Morley W, Campbell P, Greig CA, McMurdo M, Lawlor DA. Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(3):CD004366. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004366.pub4.
2. Herring MP, Puetz TW, O'Connor PJ, Dishman RK. Effect of exercise training on depressive symptoms among patients with a chronic illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(2):101-11. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.696.