Exercise can help cancer survivors deal with depression

Exercise can help cancer survivors deal with depression

Did you know that cancer survivors are more than two times as likely as non cancer-survivors to suffer from the effects of depression? The several negative consequences in such cases are reduction in compliance with cancer treatments, and hastened mortality. But, a Perth study says that doing regular exercise can reduce the depression significantly among cancer survivors.

Scientists from Edith Conwan University conducted a study on cancer survivors with depression. The study was conducted in three stages, starting with a cross sectional comparison of physical activity habits and exercise preferences of the survivors with depression and without depression in Australia. It was found that while the cancer survivors with depression were doing less of physical activity in a week, they were interested in having supervised exercise regimens for themselves. The second stage involved studying the differences between isolated survivors with survivors receiving familial and professional support. It was found that both groups were aware of benefits of exercise but were not doing it. The final study involved testing the therapeutic effect of exercise on the survivors, with a part of the group doing home-based exercises and the other following supervised regimes. It was found that both home-based and professionally supervised survivors had reduced depression in the survivors doing exercise.

You can read the full study here.

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