Exercise for Depression Duke University study

[ARTICLE]

Studies shows Aerobic Exercise Lifts Depression
Exercise for Depression Duke University study

Exercise for Depression
http://www.mcmanweb.com/article-39.htm
A 1999 Duke University study headed up by James Blumenthal PhD divided 150 participants with depression age 50 or more into three groups. One was put on an exercise regimen, another administered Zoloft, and a third given a combination of the two. Those in the exercise group worked out on a treadmill or stationary bicycle at 70 to 85 percent of their maximum heart rate for 30 minutes, three times a week.

At the end of four months, all three groups showed significantly lower rates of depression.

The big surprise came from a follow-up conducted six months later when it was discovered that those in the exercise group experienced significantly less relapse than those in the Zoloft or combination groups. Only eight percent of the exercise group had their depression return compared to 38 percent of the Zoloft group and 31 percent of the combination group.

As to why the combination group should fare worse than the exercise alone group, lead researcher James Blumenthal PhD speculated that: "The concurrent use of medication may undermine the psychological benefits of exercise ..."

He goes on to say: "The important conclusion is that the effectiveness of exercise seems to persist over time, and that patients who respond well to exercise and maintain their exercise have a much smaller risk of relapsing."

Moreover: "For each 50-minute increment of exercise, there was an accompanying 50 percent reduction in relapse risk."

http://www.mcmanweb.com/article-39.htm

A 2002 study by Ron Duman PhD at Yale found exercise resulted in the growth of brain cells in the hippocampi of rats. Meanwhile in humans, a 2003 University of Illinois study of brain scans of 55 older adults found reductions in tissue densities in the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices, but far less so among those who engaged in aerobic exercise.

The now-defunct Depression.com listed several studies:

* Researchers at the University of Illinois surveyed 401 adults and found that more exercise correlated with less depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
* Harvard University researchers put 16 moderately depressed individuals over age 60 on a weight-lifting regimen, and found that at the end of 10 weeks only two were still depressed compared to everyone in the control group.
* University of California-Berkeley researchers have been tracking 6,000 individuals since 1965, revealing strong associations between a sedentary lifestyle and depression and equally strong associations between physical activity and relief from depression.
* University of Nebraska researchers divided 180 college students into three groups - one that swam for an hour twice a week, another that did hour-long weight training twice a week, and the other that was the control group. Compared with the controls, both exercise groups were significantly less depressed.
* A LaTrobe Univerity (Australia) study found two months of tai chi beneficial for depression.


Why Exercise Works Against Depression

Exercise works against depression in a number of ways:

* By reducing the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to depression.
* By restoring one's sleep and eating patterns, and raising energy levels, all critically important to feeling alive.
* By releasing endorphins, which are associated with good mood.
* By raising serotonin levels, according to one study.
* Finally, getting in shape improves self-esteem.
* By increasing brain cells in the hippocampus, according to a study done on rats.


Researchers at Nottingham Trent University (UK) claim the chemical phenylethylamine (PEA) to be a byproduct of exercise and the cause of the euphoric mood called "runner’s high." The researchers measured PEA levels in 20 men before and after exercise and discovered all but two had increased levels24 hours later. The study’s author, Ellen Billett DPhil says that endorphins, previously thought to cause runner’s high, don’t penetrate the brain as easily as PEA does, though endorphins may still play a role. According to Hector Sabelli, MD, PhD of Rush University in an article in WebMD: "What we have seen is that PEA metabolism is reduced in people who are depressed. If you give PEA to people with depression, about 60 percent show an immediate recovery - very fast, a matter of half an hour."

Significantly, PEA is a key ingredient in chocolate, which along with fat and sugar is thought to account for the treat's feel-good effect. One can easily imagine humankind divided into two poles, all based on how we seek our PEA fix.

More on Exercise for Depression

There is no scientifically-proven exercise or type of exercise that is superior to the others. Dr Weil, the natural health guru, strongly advocates 30-minute aerobic workouts five times a week. Aerobics are what one associates with Jane Fonda workout tapes and prancing fitness instructors, but the term applies to nearly all physical activity that is not specifically strength-oriented, such as walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, and tennis.


http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/2 ... robic.html

4/5/01 • Aerobic Exercise Lifts Depression in Treatment-Resistant Patients

http://psychiatry.medscape.com/reuters/ ... in002.html

WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Apr 05 - A simple program of regular aerobic
exercise can substantially improve depression scores in patients with
moderate to severe major depression, despite prior failures with
pharmacologic therapy.

The new findings provide "grounds for cautious optimism" about the use of
exercise therapy as an alternative treatment for depression, Dr. F. Dimeo,
of the Benjamin Franklin Medical Center, in Berlin, Germany, and colleagues
conclude in the April issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The investigators studied the effects of aerobic exercise on depression in
12 patients with major depressive episodes ranging from 12 to 96 weeks in
duration. Of the patients, 10 were characterized as having refractory
depression after failing to improve during treatment with at least two
different classes of antidepressants for at least 4 weeks during the
current episode. The intervention consisted of interval training (walking
speed) on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day for 10 days.

Overall, exercise training caused a clinically significant drop in
depression scores during the 10 days. Of the twelve patients in the study,
six demonstrated "substantial" improvements &Mac247; including five of the
patients with refractory depression &Mac247; two demonstrated slight improvements
and four remained unchanged.

Moreover, there was a high rate of acceptance of the intervention among the
group, Dr. Dimeo told Reuters Health. "Indeed, several patients asked to
continue the training program after the study was concluded."
The study director added that many questions remain about the role that
aerobic exercise should play in the treatment of depression. "Aerobic
exercise may certainly be used as complementary therapy in severely
depressed patients who receive antidepressants and do not have
contraindications for exercise. Since there is no evidence about the
long-term effects of exercise [and] compliance and outcomes when stopping
training, aerobic exercise should not be used as first-line therapy for
depression until confirmatory studies have been concluded."
Dr. Dimeo noted that the team has already initiated a larger, randomized
trial of aerobic exercise in depression. Preliminary results from this
study, he said, "are very promising."

Br J Sports Med 2001;35:114-117.

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