Depression and anxiety are often treated with antidepressants. A new study now shows that running is just as effective as antidepressants in treating anxiety disorders and depression. In contrast to antidepressants, running therapy also offers other health benefits.
The current study, involving experts from the University of Amsterdam, examined the effects of antidepressants and running therapy on mental and physical health. The results are published in the “Journal of Affective Disorders”.
Medication and exercise
Both running therapy and taking antidepressants have proven to be effective treatments for depression and anxiety, the researchers report.
However, different mechanisms of action and different effects on physical health are to be expected. To what extent this is the case, the team investigated a total of 141 people between the ages of 18 and 70 who suffered from depression and/or anxiety disorders.
How were the participants treated?
45 participants received either the drug escitalopram or sertraline for treatment. 96 participants were assigned to a running group in which they ran for 45 minutes two to three times a week over a period of 16 weeks.
According to the researchers, adherence to the antidepressants was checked using an administration protocol and a patient diary. In addition, all participants in the running group were instructed to wear a heart rate monitor to record adherence to the training program.
At the beginning of the study and in the 16th week of treatment, participants were assessed for indicators of mental and physical health. These included the diagnostic status and severity of symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders as well as metabolic and immune indicators, heart rate, weight, lung function, strength and fitness, the researchers explain.
Advantages over medication
The analyses showed that remission rates at week 16 of treatment were similar for both treatments, but with significant differences in effects on physical health, the team reports.
Running therapy was associated with a significantly better effect on physical health than treatment with antidepressants. According to the researchers, this affected weight, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate variability.
The physical health benefits seen in the running group compared with the drug-treated group were due to both greater improvements from running and progressive deterioration in the drug-treated group, the experts added.
Physical activity for the psyche
The general positive effect of exercise and physical activity on mental health is also confirmed by a study published in the English-language journal “JAMA Psychiatry”.
This research found that regular physical activity, which includes not only exercise at the gym but also, for example, walking to the subway or climbing stairs throughout the day, reduces symptoms of depression.
Overall, the results show that physical activity, and especially running, effectively reduces depression and anxiety. In addition, physical activity significantly improves many aspects of physical health, which is a clear advantage over antidepressants. (as)
