CONCLUSION: EXERCISE PRODUCES SOME
‘POSITIVE SIDE EFFECTS’
A growing body of evidence suggests that exercise is an
effective treatment for depression. For mild to moderate depression
the effect of exercise may be comparable to antidepressant
medication and psychotherapy; for severe depression
exercise seems to be a valuable complementary therapy
to the traditional treatments. Exercise training not only improves
depression, but also produces ‘positive side effects’
on depression associated physical health problems and cognitive
decline. Therefore, the effectiveness of exercise interventions
for depression also needs to be evaluated in terms
of preventing chronic disease and cognitive decline.