Is Exercise The Best Defense Against Depression and Heart Disease?
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New research, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, explores the link between two conditions, finding that for many who suffer from depression, exercise is the best treatment that keeps both the mind and the body healthy.
What is Depression?
Depression is a disorder that affects around 6.7% of adults in the United States each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 300 million people currently live with the disorder. This disorder is not a normal “up and down” of emotions; this illness greatly affects mood, body, behavior and the mind and commonly interferes with daily function.
‘Just 1 Hour of Exercise Per Week Prevents Depression’
Does Exercise Help?
Researchers from The Cooper Institute and University of North Texas set out to determine whether fitness measured in midlife would be inversely associated with later-life CVD (cardiovascular disease) mortality in those with depression.
Data collected from January 1971 through December 2009 of generally healthy men and women who presented for preventive medicine examinations at midlife and who were eligible for Medicare from 1999 to 2010 were analyzed. A total of 17,989 participants with a mean age of 50 years old were included. Those with a self-reported history of depression, myocardial infarction, or stroke at examination were excluded.
‘New Link Between Intestinal Bacteria and Depression’
The study’s findings showed that higher levels of fitness in midlife were associated with a 16% lower risk of depression. Also, after a diagnosis of depression, higher levels of fitness were associated with a 56% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.
According to researchers, these findings suggest the importance of midlife fitness in primary prevention of depression and subsequent CVD mortality in older age and should encourage fitness and physical activity for healthy aging.
Defense The Natural Way
Turmeric (aka Curcumin) is the brownish herb in curry that has so many benefits. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant herb useful for inflammation and tenderness, but Turmeric is difficult to absorb. Bio-Curcumin is a vastly more absorbable version of Turmeric with up to 8 times greater bioavailability. Human clinical trials show that Bio-Curcumin lasts much longer in our body, giving a more sustained benefit.†
A number of studies show that BioCurcumin may help adults with depression. In a new study, 123 patients with major depressive disorder were treated with BioCurcumin, or placebo, or BioCurcumin with saffron; saffron supplies powerful antioxidants. Biocurcumin significantly improved symptoms of this condition and anxiety compared to placebo at doses of 250mg or 500mg a day with food. Adding saffron gave no additional benefit. The study is published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.†
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