HHS HealthBeat (November 7, 2011)

A dose of exercise

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

People being treated for depression may find exercise can pick up where medication leaves off. A study reviewed the effects of aerobic activity as a second treatment in patients who did not do well on their original anti-depressant medication. About 30 minutes’ worth of exercise four days a week proved to have an impact.

Dr. Madhukar Trivedi is at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“It was the dose. The type of exercise was all aerobic. Some of them used treadmills. Some of them used a stationary bike.  But the real important ingredient was the total energy expenditure of the dose of the exercise.” (12 seconds)

Exercise can improve overall health and reduce your risk for heart disease or diabetes.

The study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.

Last revised: November 7, 2011