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Exercise Could Be Key for Depressive Symptom Improvement
Although physical exercise before cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may not improve results in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), a growth in exercise may help improve symptoms over time, according to study results published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
“High intense physical exercise did not lead to a general enhancement of CBT outcome, but higher increases in physical fitness seem to improve symptom change during CBT,” researchers noted. “Our results suggest that the implementation of more individually tailored exercise programs could be a promising approach for future research and clinical practice.”
Related: High Beef Intake Could Reduce Risk of MDD, Study Suggests
Researchers recruited 120 outpatients with MDD from the Center for Psychotherapy at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Participants were randomly assigned to a high intensity exercise group (HEX), a low intensity exercise group (LEX), or a waiting list control group (WL). After a 12-week exercise program or waiting period, patients received CBT.
Of the original 120 patients, 75 completed the entire 12-week program and CBT. Physical fitness in the HEX group improved but did not change in the WL and LEX groups. Symptoms improved in all 3 groups from baseline. Regression analyses revealed that the amount of fitness improvement during exercise predicted the subsequent CBT response.
