Running may be as effective as medication for treating depression, a groundbreaking study suggests, with the potential to fundamentally change the way patients are treated.
Researchers also found that running has more benefits for an individual’s physical health than antidepressants, which have only marginally negative effects over time.
Nevertheless, this study found that compliance with running was lower than with medication. This means that more participants found it easier to follow medical protocols than fitness plans.
The study compared the effects of antidepressants and running on anxiety, depression, and overall health in more than 140 patients.
The study found that while both had the same benefits for mental health, 16 weeks of running over the same period resulted in higher scores in terms of improved physical health, whereas antidepressants was found to slightly worsen physical condition.
Scientists, including VU’s Brenda Penninx, also found that dropout rates were much higher in the group that chose exercise first.
The findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, were recently presented at the 36th International Conference.th ECNP meeting in Barcelona.
In this study, patients were offered the choice of taking antidepressants for 16 weeks or group-based running therapy for 16 weeks.
Forty-five of the participants chose antidepressants and 96 participated in running, with the goal of completing two to three closely supervised 45-minute group sessions per week over the same period.
The researchers found that members of the group who chose antidepressants felt slightly more depressed than those who chose running.
“This study gave people with anxiety and depression a real option: medication or exercise. Interestingly, the numbers for the running group were higher than for the medication group because the majority chose exercise.” said Dr. Penninx.
Antidepressant treatment required patients to strictly adhere to the prescribed medication, but no direct effect on daily behavior was found.
But exercise can also address the sedentary lifestyle common in people with depression and anxiety disorders by encouraging them to get outside, set personal goals, improve their fitness, and participate in group activities. It turns out.
However, the researchers also found that the running group had lower adherence to the protocol than the antidepressant group, despite initially overusing antidepressants in favor of running.
At the end of the study, about half of the participants in both groups showed improvement in their depression and anxiety, while the running group also saw improvements in physical health markers such as blood pressure, heart function, and weight.
On the other hand, the study noted that these metabolic markers were slightly lower in the antidepressant group.
“While antidepressants generally had negative effects on body weight, heart rate variability and blood pressure, running therapy led to improved effects on general health and heart rate, for example,” Dr Penninx said. Stated.
Antidepressants have been shown to be safe, effective, and effective for most people, but scientists are calling for expanding treatment options by implementing exercise therapy.
“It’s not enough to just tell patients to run away. Changing physical activity behavior requires proper supervision and encouragement, as we have done in psychiatric institutions by introducing exercise therapy,” says Dr. Penix. added.
