Influence of aerobic exercise on depression.

43 depressed undergraduate women were randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise treatment condition in which they participated in strenuous exercise, a placebo treatment condition in which they practiced relaxation exercises, or a no-treatment condition. Aerobic capacity was assessed before and after a 10-wk treatment period. Self-reported depression was assessed before, during, and after the treatment period. Results show that Ss in the aerobic exercise condition had reliably greater increases in aerobic capacity and reliably greater decreases in depression than did Ss in the placebo or no-treatment condition. There was a reduction in depression that was independent of treatment; it is suggested that a no-treatment control condition is a necessity in research on depression. It is concluded that findings provide clear evidence that participation in a program of strenuous aerobic exercise is effective for reducing depression. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)