Walking Away from Depression Researchers at the University of South Australia are calling for exercise to be a mainstay approach for managing depression, as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or the leading medications. Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, it was the most compre hensive study to date, encompassing 97 reviews conducted by researchers, 1,039 trials and 128,119 participants. It showed that physical activity is ex tremely beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and dis tress. Specifically, it showed that exercise interventions that were 12 weeks or shorter were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, high lighting the speed at which physical activity can make a change. The largest benefits were seen among people with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy individuals, and people diagnosed with HIV or kidney disease. According to the World Health Organisation, one in every eight people worldwide (970 million people) live with a mental disorder. Lead researcher Dr. Ben Singh said physical activity must be prioritised to better manage the growing cases of mental health conditions. “Physical ac tivity is known to help improve mental health. Yet, despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment.” The researchers found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, Pi lates and yoga. “Importantly, the research shows that it doesn’t take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health,” said Dr. Singh.
DEPRESSION AND DEMENTIA
MEDICAL MINUTES WITH JOHN SCHIESZER
Vitamin D Supplements May Help Ward Off Dementia Be sure to know what your vitamin D levels are and if necessary take sup plements. That is the latest message from researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada and the University of Exeter in the UK. They explored the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and de mentia in more than 12,388 participants of the US National Alzheimer’s Co ordinating Center. The participants were on average 71 years old and were dementia-free when the study began. Of the group, 37 per cent (4,637) took vitamin D supplements. In the study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, the team found that taking vitamin D was associated with living dementia-free for longer, and they also found 40 per cent fewer dementia diagnoses in the group who took supplements. In this study, 2,696 participants progressed to dementia over 10 years and 2,017 (75 per cent) had no exposure to vitamin D throughout all visits prior to dementia diag nosis. While vitamin D was effective in all groups, the team found that effects were significantly greater in females, compared to males. Similarly, effects were greater in people with normal cognition, compared to those who reported signs of mild cognitive impairment. Most vitamin D is produced as a natural by-product of the skin’s exposure to sunlight. It can also be found in fish liver oil, eggs and fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel.
John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and pod cast broadcaster of The Medical Minute. He can be reached at medicalmin utes@gmail.com.