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Aerobic exercise was proven to lift mood / NDAB Creativity/shutterstock
A study by Rutgers University suggests it could be possible to predict which young adults with major depression would benefit most from exercise.
The Rutgers-led team studied two groups of young adults with major depression, focusing on aerobic exercise and its impact on depressive symptoms.
For a period of eight weeks, one group undertook moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week, while the other group did some light-intensity stretching.
Reduced depression Symptoms of depression were reduced by 55 per cent in the aerobic exercise group, compared to 31 per cent in the light-intensity stretching group.
Crucially, while aerobic exercise didn’t influence reward processing or cognitive control, people with better reward processing when the study began were more likely to successfully respond to exercise treatment as a result of the exercise regime carried out.
The term ‘cognitive control’ refers to processes that allow adjustments in behaviour to help people achieve goals and resist distractions.
Reward processing (or reward-related brain activity) reflects the response to rewarding stimuli or outcomes and the ability to process and then modulate your response to positive and negative outcomes, such as achievement or loss.
Reward processing Deficits in reward processing have been linked to multiple psychiatric conditions, including major depression. These deficits may reflect anhedonia – the loss of interest in or inability to experience pleasure – which can be found in many cases of depression.
“Our study needs to be replicated to investigate further, but the precision medicine approach of predicting who may or may not benefit from exercise as an antidepressant is provocative,” said senior author Brandon Alderman, an associate professor at Rutgers University. “We also need to know whether exercise has a similar antidepressant effect in younger adolescents and in adults with more treatment-resistant forms of depression who have not responded well to traditional treatments.”
The study was published in the journal Psychological Medicine.
Aerobic exercise was proven to lift mood / NDAB Creativity/shutterstock
A study by Rutgers University suggests it could be possible to predict which young adults with major depression would benefit most from exercise.
The Rutgers-led team studied two groups of young adults with major depression, focusing on aerobic exercise and its impact on depressive symptoms.
For a period of eight weeks, one group undertook moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week, while the other group did some light-intensity stretching.
Reduced depression Symptoms of depression were reduced by 55 per cent in the aerobic exercise group, compared to 31 per cent in the light-intensity stretching group.
Crucially, while aerobic exercise didn’t influence reward processing or cognitive control, people with better reward processing when the study began were more likely to successfully respond to exercise treatment as a result of the exercise regime carried out.
The term ‘cognitive control’ refers to processes that allow adjustments in behaviour to help people achieve goals and resist distractions.
Reward processing (or reward-related brain activity) reflects the response to rewarding stimuli or outcomes and the ability to process and then modulate your response to positive and negative outcomes, such as achievement or loss.
Reward processing Deficits in reward processing have been linked to multiple psychiatric conditions, including major depression. These deficits may reflect anhedonia – the loss of interest in or inability to experience pleasure – which can be found in many cases of depression.
“Our study needs to be replicated to investigate further, but the precision medicine approach of predicting who may or may not benefit from exercise as an antidepressant is provocative,” said senior author Brandon Alderman, an associate professor at Rutgers University. “We also need to know whether exercise has a similar antidepressant effect in younger adolescents and in adults with more treatment-resistant forms of depression who have not responded well to traditional treatments.”
The study was published in the journal Psychological Medicine.
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
