PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 4, 2023--

Have you thanked the oceans lately? Water can absorb colossal amounts of heat, and Earth's

Scientists have found that a 16-week regimen of running has similar effect for mental health as antidepressants taken over the same period, an advance that may lead to better treatment guidelines for patients. Running, however, showed more benefits compared to antidepressants, whose effects on physical health slightly worsened over time, say researchers, including those from Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam. Despite this, the yet-to-be peer-reviewed study presented at the 36th European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress, found that adherence to running was lower than to medication. The first-of-its-kind study compared the effects of antidepressants with running exercises for anxiety, depression, and overall health in over 140 patients. The research found that while both have the same benefits for mental health, a 16-week course of running over the same period scored higher in terms of physical health improvement, whereas antidepressants lead to a slightly worse physical condition. Scientists, including Brenda Penninx from VU, also found that the drop-out rate was much higher in the group that initially chose exercise. In the study, patients were offered a choice of treatment of either SSRI antidepressants for 16 weeks, or group-based running therapy for 16 weeks. Forty-five of the participants chose antidepressants – SSRI Escitalopram for 16 weeks – while 96 participated in running that included aiming for two to three closely supervised 45-minute group sessions per week for the same period. Researchers say members of the group which chose antidepressants were slightly more depressed than the members of the group that chose to take running. “This study gave anxious and depressed people a real-life choice, medication or exercise. Interestingly, the majority opted for exercise, which led to the numbers in the running group being larger than in the medication group,” Dr Penninx said. Antidepressant treatment required patients to adhere to their prescribed medication, and was not found to directly impact daily behaviors. However, exercise was found to also address sedentary lifestyles often found in patients with depressive and anxiety disorders by encouraging them to go outside, set personal goals, improve their fitness, and participate in a group activity. But researchers also found that adherence to protocol was lower in the running group than in the antidepressant group, despite the initial preference for running over antidepressants. While at the end of the trial, about half the number of participants in both groups showed improvement in depression and anxiety, the running group also had improvements in physical health markers like blood pressure, heart function, and weight. The antidepressant group, on the other hand, showed slight deterioration in these metabolic markers, the study noted. “Antidepressants generally had a worse impact on body weight, heart rate variability, and blood pressure, whereas running therapy led to improved effects on general fitness and heart rate for instance,” Dr Penninx said. While antidepressants have been found to be safe and effective, working for most people, scientists call for extending the treatment arsenal by implementing exercise therapy. “Telling patients to go run is not enough. Changing physical activity behavior will require adequate supervision and encouragement as we did by implementing exercise therapy in a mental health care institution,” Dr Pennix added. Read More Postnatal depression drug ‘shows benefits five years on’ John Fetterman wants people to stop fussing about his use of captioning technology Mental health ‘top reason for children contacting Childline’ Largest study of centenarian blood reveals secrets to longevity Scientists map where 27 different types of love are felt in the body Biggest ever solar storm identified using ancient tree rings

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday on social media that he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate

The Las Vegas Aces are 11-1 in the 2023 season, and they’re looking to add to that record when they host the Indiana Fever on Saturday.Las Vegas has been absolutely dominant at home, winning every home game by at least 13 points. They’re favored by 15.5 points in this game against th...

Scientists are stumped after learning that Antarctica is missing a gigantic amount of sea ice that measures up to four times the size of Texas. It's currently the middle of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, a time when sea ice is expected to expand. However, Antarctica has witnessed a drastic decrease. Sea ice is said to be controlled by a balance between the atmosphere and oceans each year. Dr Steve Rintoul, CSIRO Fellow and Research Team Leader, explained [via the Sydney Morning Herald]: "The factors that influence sea ice include winds from north to south are stronger than usual which pushes sea ice towards Antarctica and restricts how far sea ice spreads. "The warmer water means there is less sea ice, and even things like melting the surface melt can alter sea ice forming." Data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shows that the ice was more than 2.6 million square kilometres below the 1981 to 2010 average. While it's natural for levels of sea ice to change, Dr Rintoul noted that this is the lowest amount recorded in the last 40 years. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Despite factors such as the atmosphere playing its part, the exact reason behind the decline is baffling scientists. "It is stunning," Dr Rintoul said. "The fact is we don’t know why [we’ve got record low sea ice]. "No one predicted this, we don’t understand why this season is as low as it is." Eric Rignot of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Irvine told Axios that it's too early to determine how responsible climate change is to this year's sea ice decline. He went on to note that when declines started in 2016, researchers couldn't say whether it was part of a larger trend. "Now, we can say with a bit more certainty that this is not anomalous behaviour — it's a change of state," he told the outlet. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

John Castic’s body was found at around 11 am on August 1 when a passerby spotted a bloated, shirtless body floating face down in the English Kills

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have shared a video in which they said they are "aware of the pain" they caused by writing letters on behalf of Danny Masterson ahead of his rape conviction sentencing.

Jay-Z’s annual Made in America festival in Philadelphia has been canceled

Mikel Arteta relishes “special” north London derbies against Tottenham and has called for Arsenal to take advantage of the Emirates’ electric atmosphere on Sunday. Both Arsenal and Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League ahead of their derby-day clash. And Arteta talked up the fixture’s history and its importance to the club and supporters as Arsenal search for a third straight victory over their neighbours. “It’s a special rivalry. It’s a rivalry in the city and I really like the derby, there’s something between the two communities and it’s really intense,” Arteta said. “It builds something even bigger with your supporters. I think it’s a game always in fixtures where you look straight away to see when you play that game because it’s special and there’s something emotionally attached to it so it will be a big lift if we manage to win it. “No (better feeling than beating Tottenham) because you know what the game means to people and having the possibility in your job to make someone happy is a huge fulfilment and a responsibility we feel. “You walk down the street and there’s a feeling (among fans) because of the history, the rivalry and that’s the beautiful thing when it’s taken in the right way during sport and we are so privileged to be involved in this sort of game. “The atmosphere will be different. It will be more electric, there will be more energy in the ground and the pitch so we have to deal with that in the right way and take advantage of that.” Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Spurs find themselves in second having scored 13 goals in five matches. And Gunners boss Arteta highlighted their rivals’ dominant form and expects them to pose a new challenge to his side. “For sure they’ve had a really good start and they are in a good moment and we are too so it’s a big game and we’re going to have to battle the right way to win it,” he added. “They dominate the games, they win the games, they score a lot of goals and they’re an attacking flowing team and they go for it so they’ll bring a different approach to the game than what we’ve played in the league so far. “They have a new challenge, a new opportunity, they have a new manager who is doing really well and he’s managed to change the vibe around the club and with a different style too. They dominate the games, they win the games, they score a lot of goals and they're an attacking flowing team Arteta on Spurs “So we need to be ourselves and produce the performance to beat them.” Arsenal retuned to the Champions League after six years with a midweek 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in Group B. Arteta said: “For sure (the win) has to drive the energy and the belief and we have to keep doing what we’re doing and understand that Sunday will be a different game that will need that same performance or even better to beat them (Tottenham) and we need to keep going.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wales’ destiny in their own hands – 5 talking points ahead of Australia showdown Sarina Wiegman happy with ‘three very important points’ against Scotland Matt Peet savours ‘fantastic honour’ as Wigan win League Leaders Shield

Russian courts have ordered the liquidation of a human rights organization that preserved the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov and have ordered the detention of a prominent election monitor

The leader of a far-right Dutch populist party has been assaulted at an event two days before the Netherlands holds a general election