#047 Exercise as a Treatment for Depression

FoundMyFitness

Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.

Fitness, Depression, Foundmyfitness, Timferriss, Sleep, Diet, Longevity, Ketosis, Rhondapatrick, Kevinrose, Domdagostino, Health, Sauna, Nutrition, Medicine, Fasting, Healthspan, Mattwalker, Coldexposure, Lifeextension, Health & Fitness, Exercise

4.8 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 August 2019

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this short episode, Dr. Patrick discusses some of the compelling science including observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and human mechanistic studies that suggests exercise is a powerful tool for preventing or managing the symptoms of depression and mental illness. Moreover, she talks about the specific types of exercise and exercise parameters that evidence suggests might be the most helpful for depression.

This podcast started its life as a video, so make sure to check out the full video or the references and episode notes on the episode page.

In this episode, you'll discover:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:51 - Multiple types of research support the anti-depressant effects of exercise
00:04:45 - Exercise boosts serotonin and blocks harmful kynurenine
00:10:00 - Exercise causes beneficial inflammation that boosts BDNF
00:13:18 - Depression lowers BDNF and neuroplasticity
00:15:08 - Exercise increases endocannabinoids and endorphins
00:16:09 - Concluding thoughts

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/exercise-depression

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on depression straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello my friends! Rather than an interview, today's episode is a short discussion on the
0:04.8	relationship between depression and exercise and some of the discrete mechanisms down to the
0:09.7	molecular level by which exercise may ameliorate depressive symptoms. Depression is such an important
0:15.6	topic, and while this episode is exclusively focused on the role exercise might play,
0:20.4	there is still much more to be covered. If you are interested in depression, we are co-releasing
0:25.1	an article on depression that not only covers some of the discussion today, but also much more.
0:30.2	This 13-page article on depression covers everything from etiology, including early life trauma,
0:35.5	traumatic experiences, chronic inflammation, chronic stress, disrupted circadian rhythm,
0:41.2	gut microbiome dysbiosis, genetic predisposition, and more. It also covers some emerging treatments,
0:47.6	including pharmacologic, exercise, diet, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, light therapy,
0:53.9	meditation, psychedelics, and trans-cranial direct stimulation. This page will be a living document
1:00.0	where we continue to add new and useful information on depression all in one place. You can find
1:05.3	that at foundmyfitness.com by clicking topics and selecting depression. You can also find helpful
1:12.3	figures, definitions, and references for this podcast on its accompanying episode page at foundmyfitness.com
1:19.5	forward slash episodes. As usual, this episode is funded through member support. If you enjoy the
1:25.3	unique content that found my fitness has to offer and are interested in little occasional bonuses
1:30.2	like exclusive Q&As, you can learn more about becoming a voluntary monthly supporter at foundmyfitness.com
1:37.2	forward slash crowd sponsor. Once again, that's foundmyfitness.com forward slash C-R-O-W-D-S-P-O-N-S-O-R
1:46.7	crowd sponsor. And away to the podcast. Dr. Ronda Patrick here, I love indoor cycling,
1:54.3	and it's not strictly an obsession with heart health or maintaining a spelt figure. No, for me,
1:59.1	it's about mood and brain benefits. While virtually all exercise at any dose is probably beneficial,
2:05.9	when it comes to full mental recalibration, for me, a 60-minute cycling session uniquely stands out.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D., and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.