Taking antidepressants may be as effective as daily exercise in treating depression, according to a new study.
- Running two to three 45-minute sessions per week is as effective as antidepressants, according to a study.
- Sport would therefore have a beneficial impact on depression but also on physical health in general.
- About a third of patients do not respond to treatments for depression.
This is a surprising result: exercising regularly would be as effective as taking antidepressants, according to a new study published in the journal Journal of Affective Disorders.
Depression: sport two to three times a week to fight against the disease
To achieve this result, the team of researchers led by Professor Brenda Penninx, from the Vrije University in Amsterdam (Netherlands), followed 141 patients suffering from depression and/or anxiety.
During the sixteen weeks of the study, they had to choose their drug treatment (antidepressants) or do sports, more precisely running for two to three 45-minute sessions per week. 45 people chose the first option and 96 the second.
“This study gave people with anxiety and depression a real choice, medication or exercise, noted Professor Brenda Penninx in a communicated. Interesting fact: the majority opted for exercise. Which led to a higher number in the running group than in the medication group.”
HAS At the end of sixteen weeks, there was improvement in depression and/or anxiety in 44% of people in both groups. Athletes had other benefits with weight loss, a reduction in their waist circumference, blood pressure and heart function.
Do not stop taking antidepressants to start exercising
“It is important to say that there is a place for both therapies in the treatment of depression”underlines the expert. Indeed, the conclusions of this study should not be misinterpreted: people who are taking antidepressant treatment should not stop it to start exercising. Any change in medication intake must be validated in advance by a healthcare professional.
“Antidepressants are generally safe and effective. They work in most patients, explainsto Professor Brenda Penninx. However, we need to expand our therapeutic armamentarium, because not all patients respond to or are willing to take antidepressants. Our results suggest that implementing exercise therapy is something we should take much more seriously, as it might be a good, and perhaps even better, choice for some of our patients.”
According to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), antidepressant treatments are effective in almost 70% of cases, which means that around a third of patients do not respond to treatment at all.
