A new study published in the British Medical Journal suggests
that contrary to widespread belief, combining exercise with
conventional therapy is not beneficial in treating depression.
The study was conducted by researchers at Universities of
Bristol and Exeter and Peninsula College of Medicine and
Dentistry and was funded by the NHS. The researchers observed
361 patients between 18 to 69 years of age who had been
diagnosed with depression and divided them into two groups, with
one group receiving conventional treatment while the second
group combined exercise with conventional treatment. The
researchers followed up on the patients after a period of 12
months and found that combining exercise with medical care did
not alleviate depression symptoms any more than just medical
care did. "Numerous studies have reported the positive effects
of physical activity for people suffering with depression but
our intervention was not an effective strategy for reducing
symptoms", University of Bristol's Melanie Chalder sai