Exercise may Help Treat Anxiety and Depression

A new study presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting suggests that exercise can provide a slight benefit in treating patients suffering from anxiety or depression. The study was led by Robin Callister, of the University of Newcastle, who enrolled three boys and 10 girls suffering from depression and who took part in trainer-led workouts three times a week for 12 weeks. They were also asked to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day on the remaining days of the week.

The researchers found that exercise helped cut down depression severity by 63 percent among the participants while eighty three percent of the teens who completed the exercise program were no longer as depressed as they were before the study.

“Evidence that exercise can lift mood in young people is a huge step forward in treatment of this delicate population. We are now conducting a larger trial to further evaluate the effects of exercise in depression and are hopeful that it could be used as a treatment in addition to other treatments for depression without potential problems”, Callister said.

Source-Medindia