{"id":91882,"date":"2024-06-26T09:45:23","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T09:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=91882"},"modified":"2024-06-26T09:45:23","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T09:45:23","slug":"science-says-exercise-can-combat-depression","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/science-says-exercise-can-combat-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Science Says Exercise Can Combat Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-91883 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression-300x106.jpg 300w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression-1024x363.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression-768x272.jpg 768w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression-1536x544.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression-400x142.jpg 400w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression-155x55.jpg 155w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>It is well-known that regular physical activity is beneficial for both the body and mind. Now, new research has found that exercise is <strong>twice as effective as any medication in treating depression.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Experts analyzed over 14,000 individuals with depressive disorders from 218 separate studies, categorizing various forms of exercise based on their effectiveness in treating the condition compared to medication treatments.<\/p>\n<p>While all forms of intervention showed some efficacy, the findings were clear: <strong>walking, jogging, or exercising at least two or three times a week<\/strong> was deemed the best way to alleviate symptoms of depression.<\/p>\n<p>The research revealed that solely taking <strong>antidepressants improved symptoms by 26%,<\/strong> whereas <strong>walking or jogging improved symptoms by 63%.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-91884 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/feet-running-road-exercise-healthy-body.jpg\" alt=\"running-exercise-marathon\" width=\"1000\" height=\"749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/feet-running-road-exercise-healthy-body.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/feet-running-road-exercise-healthy-body-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/feet-running-road-exercise-healthy-body-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/feet-running-road-exercise-healthy-body-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/feet-running-road-exercise-healthy-body-155x116.jpg 155w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>Physical Exercise is the Foremost Ally for Mental Health<\/h1>\n<p>Engaging in physical exercise is not only the best way to combat depression, but also to reap a host of benefits for our mental health.<\/p>\n<p>When engaging in regular physical activities, the body releases<strong> endorphins,<\/strong> neurotransmitters also known as <em><strong>&#8220;happiness hormones.&#8221; <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The release of endorphins leads to feelings of well-being and <strong>reduced stress, alleviating depressive symptoms.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Moreover, physical exercise can increase the production of other brain chemicals such as <strong>serotonin and dopamine,<\/strong> which are crucial for <strong>regulating mood and promoting feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By boosting these chemical levels in the brain, physical activity helps improve our mood and reduce feelings of sadness and despair associated with depression.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the neurochemical benefits, staying active serves as an important distraction from worries and negative thoughts that can affect our mental health.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, engaging in physical activity can <strong>promote social interaction,<\/strong> which is essential for emotional well-being. Being part of a community or sports team can provide emotional support, reduce social isolation, and foster a sense of belonging, all factors that can help combat mental disorders like depression.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article first appeared on Grazia.it<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/desk-yoga-8-simple-exercises-to-do-every-day\/\">Desk Yoga: 8 Simple Exercises to Do Every Day<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/try-taylor-swift-diet-workout-get-fit\/\">Try Taylor Swift\u2019s Diet and Workouts to Get Fit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42690,"featured_media":91883,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[38,16,2723],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.5 (Yoast SEO v20.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Science Says Exercise Can Combat Depression - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore how regular exercise combats depression through neurotransmitter release and social interaction benefits.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/science-says-exercise-can-combat-depression\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Science Says Exercise Can Combat Depression\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore how regular exercise combats depression through neurotransmitter release and social interaction benefits.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/science-says-exercise-can-combat-depression\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/06\/woman-jogging-exercise-optimum-health-happy-combat-against-depression.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"567\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/science-says-exercise-can-combat-depression\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/science-says-exercise-can-combat-depression\/\",\"name\":\"Science Says Exercise Can Combat Depression - 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