Benefits of exercise, diet akin to psychological treatment for depression: Study

New Delhi: Benefits of physical exercise and a good nutritional diet are as effective as psychological treatment for depression -- one of the most common mental disorders worldwide -- claimed a study.

Treating depression with exercise and a proper diet could also prove to be a cost-effective method for the mental health condition that ranks among the top 25 causes of global disease burden.

The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health, proved that diet and physical exercise have "the potential to provide mental health care with no lesser effects than cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) -- a type of talk therapy -- with psychologists". It also showed that results can be achieved remotely, via online video conferencing, while eliminating the need for in-person treatment.

This may prove helpful to people from remote areas.

The team based the study on 182 adults who suffered depression between May 2021 and April 2022.

Participants were divided into two groups for six 90-minute sessions over eight weeks using group-based, online video conferencing. One followed lifestyle therapy (with nutrition, and physical activity) with a dietitian and exercise physiologist while the other had psychotherapy (CBT) with psychologists.

Both methods were found to be equally effective in lowering symptoms of depression, the results showed.

"Remote-delivered lifestyle therapy was non-inferior to psychotherapy with respect to clinical and cost outcomes," revealed the findings led by researchers from the universities of Monash, James Cook and Deakin in Australia.

The researchers stressed the need to replicate the study on a larger scale "to increase access to allied health professionals who, with adequate training and guidelines, can deliver mental healthcare at a comparable cost to psychologists".