Strong and Vital No 4

Repor tage

Exercise Is the Best Medicine for Mental Health

We all know that an amount of exercise and a balanced diet are the key to a healthy lifestyle - AT ANY AGE. However, it may surprise you to learn that physical activity also has positive effects on mental health. In fact, exercise and muscle streng thening bring many benefits, not only in the preven tion and the fight against cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of South Australia have conducted a study in this area, which inclu ded 97 reviews with 128,119 participants and was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2023). The results are unequivocal. Physical exercise alone can have an ext remely positive effect on the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress and is 1.5 times more effective than psychothe rapy or the use of psychotropic drugs, which are in any case associated with risks and side effects. In particular, analyses showed that physical activity in daily life lasting 12 weeks or even less was most effec tive in reducing the symptoms of a mental disorder, demonstrating how quickly physical activity can bring about favourable change in the treatment of such con ditions in all adult populations. The greatest benefits were seen in people with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, and people with an HIV diagnosis or kidney disease. According to the Word Health Organisation (WHO), one in every eight people worldwide suffered from a mental disorder in 2019, which equates to 970 million people. Poor mental health cost the global economy around USD 2.5 trillion in 2019, an amount that has been growing steadily since then and is expected to rise to USD 6 trillion by 2030.

Symptoms of depression generally include sad ness, irritability, emptiness, loss of pleasure or interest in activities, lack of concentration, lack of energy and permanent tiredness, loss of appe tite, sleep disorders, unfounded feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, hopelessness about the future, thoughts of dying or suicide. While persistent anxi ety states are characterised by excessive fear and worry and even panic attacks. Lead researcher of the study, Dr Ben Singh, belie ves that physical activity must be prioritised in order to better manage the growing cases of men tal health conditions. «Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. Yet despite the evi dence, it has not been widely adopted as a first choice treatment,» Dr Singh says. «Our review shows that physical activity can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations. Higher intensity exercise showed greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects when compared to short and mid-duration bursts.» It has also been found that all types of physical activity are beneficial, including walking, resistance training, Pilates and yoga. In fact, it does not take much to positively influence mental well-being through exercise. The researchers now hope that this review will underscore the need for physical activity

as a mainstay approach for managing depression and anxiety .

Dr. Ben Singh

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STRONG and VITAL No. 4 - 2024