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Healthy food and regular exercise may be just as beneficial in treating depression as traditional therapy.

 

In Australia, GEELONG — Are you depressed? Eating healthily and adding a regular jog can be the magic combination for your mental health. Researchers have shown that maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise may be just as beneficial for treating depression as conventional psychotherapy. This discovery may be beneficial to people who find it difficult to seek mental health services or who do not have the money for frequent treatment visits.


Researchers at Deakin University in Australia conducted a study comparing the efficacy of two distinct ways to treating depression: traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of talk therapy, and lifestyle therapy, which focused on nutrition and physical exercise. Remarkably, they discovered that throughout an 8-week period, both approaches were equally successful in lowering depressive symptoms.

This study comes at a critical juncture. With an estimated 50 million new cases worldwide since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, rates of depression have surged. Many people lack access to the necessary care because traditional mental health services are overburdened. The prospect of a brand-new, efficacious treatment choice may revolutionize how this expanding issue is handled.

In the study, which was published in The Lancet Regional Health, 182 persons with depressive symptoms participated. In a lifestyle treatment group, which included advice on enhancing their diet and upping their physical activity, half of the participants were placed. The remaining half took part in conventional CBT sessions. Over the course of eight weeks, both groups attended six 90-minute sessions that were led by multimedia This study is especially intriguing since it treats lifestyle factors as the main treatment for depression instead of only as a supplemental strategy. Although the link between mental and physical health has long been known, this is one of the first studies to compare lifestyle changes with recognized psychological treatments side by side.
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Dietitians and exercise physiologists guided the lifestyle therapy sessions, assisting participants in creating individualized objectives for healthy lifestyle modifications. These could be increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in their diet, cutting back on processed foods, or starting a regular exercise regimen. Crucially, the emphasis was on general health enhancements rather than weight loss.
Conversely, the goal of the psychologist-led CBT sessions was to assist participants in recognizing and altering the negative thought patterns and behaviors that are linked to depression. Numerous patients with depression have demonstrated efficacy with this well-researched medication.

Both groups' symptoms of depression significantly improved after eight weeks. Participants in both groups experienced a about 40% decline in their scores on a common depression scale. This implies that for a large number of individuals, adopting healthy eating and exercise habits may be just as helpful in controlling depression as conventional talk therapy.

The consequences of these discoveries for mental health care may be extensive. For starters, a lot of people may find lifestyle modifications more accessible and affordable. Although it might be difficult to find and afford a therapist, particularly in underserved or rural regions, many people are able to make dietary and activity modifications with little to no professional assistance.
Moreover, people who are wary of conventional therapy or drugs may find this approach very intriguing. Making lifestyle adjustments could be a more manageable first step for some people than engaging in intense conversations or beginning antidepressant medication.


It's crucial to remember, though, that lifestyle modifications shouldn't take the place of any other kind of treatment. Since depression is a complicated illness, different people will respond differently to different treatments. A mix of strategies, such as medication, counseling, and lifestyle modifications, may work best for certain people.

The study also emphasizes the possibility of providing mental health care in a more comprehensive manner. We may be better equipped to enhance general well-being if we treat both mental and physical health. This is consistent with an increasing amount of evidence indicating a close relationship between mental and physical health.

This work creates intriguing new opportunities in the realm of mental health treatment, even though more investigation is required to validate these results and examine their long-term consequences. It implies that rather than always beginning on a therapist's couch, the road to improved mental health may occasionally begin on our plates and in our running shoes.