“A healthy mind in a healthy body”: the famous phrase of the Latin poet Juvénal has never been so topical. Because a new study from Rutgers University (United States) has just shown that a combination of physical activity and mindfulness meditation (or mindfulness) could significantly reduce the main symptoms of depression : fatigue, sadness, hypersensitivity, feeling of abandonment, incapacity and loneliness, anxiety, ruminations, sleep disorders, appetite, sexual life…
To reach this conclusion, the American researchers followed 52 volunteers (men and women of different ages and social categories) for 8 weeks: 22 people suffered from depression and 30 were in good health. Twice a week, participants had to participate in a sports session of about 30 minutes and a meditation session of about 20 minutes.
Attenuation of around 40%
Results ? “At the end of the experiment, we observed a marked improvement in the state of health of patients affected by depression”, explains Pr. Brandon Alderman, main author of this work published in the specialized journal Translational Psychiatry. “On average, the symptoms of the disease had decreased by 40%. We knew that, separated, meditation and sport were beneficial to fight against depression: but when these two disciplines are practiced together, the effects seem tenfold. two months already, the results were very clear.”
Everything is played out at the level of the brain: according to scientists, the combination of sport + meditation would allow the birth of new neurons in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that belongs to the limbic system. In summary, this process contributes to the fight against pain, stress and anxiety. In addition, studies have shown that meditation promotes well-being by gradually decreasing the density of the amygdala, an area of the brain particularly involved in aggression and violent emotions. But good !
