Sign up for an aerobics class © Shutterstock
Exercises have long been known to have a positive effect on mental health. Now a new study has confirmed that even those with mental health issues like depression experience antidepressant effects with the help of supervised aerobic exercises. The study was published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety. For the study, 11 eligible trials were held involving 455 adult patients (18-65 years old) with major depression as a primary disorder. Supervised aerobic exercise was performed on an average for 45 minutes, at moderate intensity, 3 times per week, and for 9.2 weeks. This showed a significantly large overall antidepressant effect compared with antidepressant medication and/or psychological therapies. These aerobic exercises had moderate-to-large antidepressant effects among trials with a lower risk of bias, as well as large antidepressant effects among trials with short-term interventions (up to 4 weeks) and trials involving preferences for exercise. According to lead author Dr Ioannis D Morres, of the University of Thessaly, in Greece, supervised aerobic exercise can significantly support major depression treatment in mental health services.
Earlier this year, the University of Connecticut conducted a study on how aerobic exercise helped those with Alzheimer's. The study said that older adults at risk for or who have Alzheimer's, who did aerobic exercise by itself experienced a three times greater level of improvement in their ability to think and make decisions than those who participated in combined aerobic training and strength training exercises. It also said that moderate-intensity exercise training about three days a week for 45 minutes resulted in modestly better cognitive function for participants.
While it has been proved that aerobic exercises have immense positive effects on mental health, there are many other forms of exercises that are known to boost endorphins production. This includes yoga asanas, weight training and even martial art forms like kickboxing and Karate.
With inputs from ANI
