
How Exercise May Protect Against Depression - ScottBurson
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/how-exercise-may-protect-against-depression/?src=me
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guiambros
I'm glad to see the article, but if you're interested in the effects of
physical exercise over the brain in general - not only depression, but brain
development, neuronal growth, memory retention, degenerative brain diseases -
you should read "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the
Brain" [1].

It's a great book, summarizing all the studies and discoveries around brain
health and the link with body biochemistry and exercise over the past 50
years. Not the typical common wisdom of "exercise is good for you", but a more
serious and deep analysis of why it is good, and what _exactly_ it does to
your brain, at a biochemical level.

As a person that always knew how much exercise is important for the body -
_but always hated exercising_ \- this book gave a reason to pause and re-think
my priorities.

If you care about your brain, read at least the sample chapters and see if you
like it.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-
Exercise-B...](http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-
Brain/dp/0316113514)

~~~
camillomiller
As a person who always hated exercising, too, I can tell you that it's just a
matter of starting and then stick to it until "something" clicks and makes you
crave exercise like you crave food or sleep. If knowing what's the
neurological basis that makes exercise so useful for our body, is what keeps
you going, that's great. But really, any reason will do. My reason: proving to
myself that I have a stronger will strength than I used to think and believe
for so many years. When I don't exercise (for me that means also practicing
Ashtanga Yoga) for like a week because of external reasons, I experienced a
deep slash of depression -- real depression, like seeing everything black,
totally unmotivated self-loathing and so forth. Luckily, it's just a matter of
getting a good hour of intense excercise and the day after I'm back on track.
There's definitively something chemical going on there.

Thanks for the book suggestion

~~~
zura
Can anyone comment if just walking counts for exercising?

~~~
Jtsummers
Yes it does.

[http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/walking-for-
exer...](http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/walking-for-exercise)

[http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-
depth/wa...](http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-
depth/walking/art-20046261)

If you're particularly overweight or have joint/back or other health issues
you may want to consult your physician about how to improve past a slower
paced walk. But if your joints and heart are otherwise healthy, it's pretty
good exercise for getting in better shape, losing/maintaining weight, and for
getting to spend some time outside in the sun and fresh air.

------
LaurensBER
It takes some time to find some exercise that works for you. I hated the gym,
running bored me, I didn't really fit in with the fightsport crowd in my city
(all started classes were filled young kids, you might have better luck in a
bigger city!) but swimming has been awesome so far. I used to stay in shape by
cycling to work everyday but over the years I have become fatter, slower, less
attractive, depressed and far less sharp.

I swim almost an hour everyday and during the weekends I sometimes go for 3-4
hours and it has done wonders for my depression, it also enhances your mental
clarity and swimming is a great way to work out those hard recursion or
architectural problems.

I used to deal with overwhelming negative emotions in less constructive ways,
some days I still swim to "destroy", endorphins also work great for emotional
pain so after that I usually feel a lot better.

I hear great things about climbing from other programmers. If you're depressed
find something that you enjoy as a exercise, once you get the basics down it
becomes a "flow" not much different from programming :)

I also take some St John's Wort, some vitamin D and I replaced most breakfasts
with Soylent. So far it has done wonders in fighting my depression.

~~~
crimsonalucard
Running isn't boring, boring is just an excuse. If you were really running or
if you were really exercising you'd be in too much pain to be bored. Running
is a form of self torture pure and simple.

The people who tell you they enjoy running are really saying that they've
disciplined themselves to master the pain. I mean, sure you get endorphins
when you run, but the pain component of long distance running is far more
intense then any high you can receive from endorphins. In essence people who
truly exercise have conditioned themselves to the point where the negative
effects of exercise become inconsequential and the benefits begin to outweigh
the pain.

Make no mistake. Real Exercise isn't about finding something you simply enjoy
and love. It is very intense work and something that you need to learn to
love; kind of like programming.

~~~
crimsonalucard
I got voted down for this comment. Please let me know if you ever ran 10 miles
and was totally bored by the experience.

~~~
crimsonalucard
Unfortunately I can't relate to the responses. It's hard for me to comprehend
how you can be bored and in total pain or out of breath at the same time. It's
like saying there's a knife in your shoulder and you're still bored...

~~~
sliverstorm
No long distance runner I have ever met has described running as "total pain".

Several look brighter and clearly feel happier after running 2-4 miles. It's
nearly rejuvenating for them.

Unless they are quite literally masochists, I don't think they spend those 2-4
miles in pure misery.

~~~
crimsonalucard
You're right poor choice of words I'm just trying to emphasize that there's
enough misery to prevent you from being bored.

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renn
Exercise, and in particular 30 minutes or more, every day, has been successful
as one of the best forms of preventive medicine out there. It's highly
effective against progression in depression, anxiety, knee arthritis, frank
diabetes, and many other illnesses. One of the best videos that illustrates
the benefits is 23 1/2 by Dr. Mike Evans:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo)

We based our app on the notion of moving at least 30 minutes every day. We've
had very positive feedback from people that cope with depression and/or
anxiety. Would love your feedback: [http://human.co](http://human.co)

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DanBC
We need to be careful with what they're saying.

> Scientists have also known that exercise seems to cushion against
> depression. Working out somehow makes people and animals emotionally
> resilient,

Many people translate this to mean "exercise can treat depression".

Here's one meta analysis that suggests exercise is a weak treatment for
depression.

[http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-
for...](http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-
depression)

> Exercise is moderately more effective than no therapy for reducing symptoms
> of depression.

But also

> The reviewers also note that when only high-quality studies were included,
> the difference between exercise and no therapy is less conclusive.

> Exercise is no more effective than antidepressants for reducing symptoms of
> depression, although this conclusion is based on a small number of studies.

> Exercise is no more effective than psychological therapies for reducing
> symptoms of depression, although this conclusion is based on small number of
> studies.

I'd like to see better research that controls for things like social networks
(a person might be more likely to go jogging with friends than alone, for
example) and other confounding factors.

~~~
lingben
there are other studies including meta studies which show that exercise is an
effective treatment with the lowest rate of relapse:

[http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/for-
depres...](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/for-depression-
prescribing-exercise-before-medication/284587/)

we need more studies

~~~
DanBC
Did you read any of the research quoted by the Atlantic article, or just the
Atlantic article?

And did you bother to read the link I posted? Because it says

> The reviewers recommend that future research should look in more detail at
> what types of exercise could most benefit people with depression, and the
> number and duration of sessions which are of most benefit. Further larger
> trials are needed to find out whether exercise is as effective as
> antidepressants or psychological treatments

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Mz
Excerpt:

 _So the scientists looked for which processes were being most notably
intensified in their PGC-1alpha1-rich mice. They found one in particular,
involving a substance called kynurenine that accumulates in human and animal
bloodstreams after stress. Kynurenine can pass the blood-brain barrier and, in
animal studies, has been shown to cause damaging inflammation in the brain,
leading, it is thought, to depression.

But in the mice with high levels of PGC-1alpha1, the kynurenine produced by
stress was set upon almost immediately by another protein expressed in
response to signals from the PGC-1alpha1. This protein changed the kynurenine,
breaking it into its component parts, which, interestingly, could not pass the
blood-brain barrier._

I imagine this is hardly the whole story, but it is interesting that they were
able to identify a specific component. Something else that I would think is
relevant is that the lymphatic system is dramatically sped up during exercise.
It is pumped by you working your muscles rather than by your circulatory
system, even though it is kind of part of your circulatory system (because
lymph is basically fluid from the blood but with major blood components
removed). (Though the brain has a separate mechanism: It moves lymph when you
sleep.)

------
rip747
Yoga and long walks work great in fighting my depression.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I notice a HUGE difference in my
attitude and motivation if I sit for too long.

~~~
404error
Citalopram, 1.5 hours at the gym, and Dolce's Lean living have worked wonders
for me.

------
justntime
This is definitely not monumentally new advice but it is something that many
people overlook when people are diagnosed with depression.

When people exercise it creates habits, these habits become something that
allow people to have something positive to look forward to during their daily
routine.

Depressions roots are tied to falling into a cycle of not doing things, by
breaking that cycle you give yourself an opportunity to decrease your
depression.

I'm the founder of a health and wellness startup that hopes to help people
create habits and personalize their health regimes.

From the Harvard article, "How does exercise relieve depression? For many
years, experts have known that exercise enhances the action of endorphins,
chemicals that circulate throughout the body. Endorphins improve natural
immunity and reduce the perception of pain. They may also serve to improve
mood. Another theory is that exercise stimulates the neurotransmitter
norepinephrine, which may directly improve mood."

To read more check here. [http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Exercise-and-
Depressi...](http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Exercise-and-Depression-
report-excerpt.htm)

------
etiam
Press release and links here: [http://ki.se/en/news/how-physical-exercise-
protects-the-brai...](http://ki.se/en/news/how-physical-exercise-protects-the-
brain-from-stress-induced-depression)

(and previous post of the press release and links here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8385525](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8385525))

------
stefanocutello
I learned that's true thanks to this app [http://human.co](http://human.co)
and their simple concept: move 30mins or more every day to stay healthy (the
#daily30), inspired by "23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can
do for our health?" by D. Mike Evans

------
heroku
I experienced this on the extreme that I immediately freed of my depressive
thoughts upon doing some push ups, that I started working out regularly. I
know that it's a fact by experience.

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stretchwithme
I've found that establishing a habit of exercise first thing after climbing
out of bed really works.

The important thing is to not "break the chain". Even if you can only exercise
a little on a particular day, do that little bit.

I decided to do burpees every day last April and have only missed it 2 days
while on vacation.

Based on this article though, I'm going to change it to something more
aerobic. I think burpees are so intense I can't do them for long enough to get
the aerobic benefit.

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thro1237
I started an exercise regime (basically in an elliptical machine for 30 mins
every day) six months back. I hurt my kness and it still hurts. I will see a
sports doctor -- but any suggestions?

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a8da6b0c91d
If you try to work out much when tired and stressed you're just going to
increase the odds of getting sick. The article makes the mistake of suggesting
exercise when already stressed. I think the point here is that fitness is
protective. It's too late if you're already feeling a bit burned out. The
thing to do in that case is restful relaxation.

~~~
Geee
Source? I don't think that's true at all.

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JTon
> In the meantime, if work and other pressures mount, it may be a good idea to
> go for a jog

This is not new, nor exciting advice. However I do think it's sound.
Personally speaking, exercise allows me to work harder and play harder. It
acts as sort of a mental refresh and barrier. If my work stress starts to
evade my relaxation time, it often overlaps with me skipping out at the gym

~~~
etiam
_That_ is not new advice.

By contrast the finding that well-trained muscles protect against depression
by a mechanism involving breaking down kynurenine peripherally and thus
preventing it from entering the brain is both new and in my opinion very
exciting. After the fact it makes sense, but I would not have predicted it.

Incidentally, kynurenic acid in the brain is also implicated in schizophrenia,
which makes me wonder if this will have explanation value beyond depression as
well.

I find this an unexpected and delightful discovery.

