运动能减轻忧郁症吗？

关于忧郁症

About Depression

2020 年世界卫生组织把忧郁症列为三大需要重视的疾病之一。

In 2020, the World Health Organization listed depression as one of the top three diseases to be taken seriously.

忧郁症是一种持续且严重的忧郁表现,造成忧郁症的原因有很多，可能与外在的压力、遗传、内分泌失调有关。

Depression is a persistent and severe form of depression that can be caused by several factors, including external stress, genetics, and endocrine disorders.

罹患忧郁症时可能会有失眠、食欲不振、暴饮暴食、烦躁不安、躯体化等症状，严重者甚

至出现自杀行为。

When suffering from depression, symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, overeating, irritability, somatization, and even suicidal behavior may occur in severe cases.

布鲁门塔实验

The Blumenthal Experiment

心理学家布鲁门塔(James Blumenthal)请来一百多名患有忧郁症的受试者，并将他们随机分为服药组(服用抗忧郁药物-乐复得(Zoloft)、运动组(每周运动 3 次且每次 30 分钟)、服药加运动组(既运动又服用药物)。

Psychologist James Blumenthal asked more than 100 subjects with depression and randomly divided them into a medication group (taking the antidepressant Zoloft), an exercise group (exercising three times a week for 30 minutes each time), and a medication and exercise group (taking both exercise and medication).

研究发现运动组和服药组改善症状的人数比例相同。后来布鲁门塔决定继续追踪运动组的受试者，调查运动所带来的正面影响能持续多久，这次他并没有把受试者分为不同小组，而是让大家自行选择想做的事，如：运动、心理谘商、服用药物，然而在六个月后那些选择持续运动的人忧郁症复发的机率最小，只有 10%到 12.5%。

The study found the same percentage of improvement in symptoms in the exercise and medication groups. This time he did not divide the subjects into different groups, but let them choose what they wanted to do, such as exercise, counseling, and medication, and after six months those who chose to keep exercising had the least chance of relapse, only 10% to 12.5%.

由此，他得出结论：运动和服用药物对于忧郁症的治疗效果相当，且持续的运动可以降低忧郁症复发的机率。

It was concluded that exercise and medication are equally effective in the treatment.

运动到底是如何帮助我们解决忧郁症的呢?

How exactly does exercise help us with depression?

研究人员发现忧郁症患者的海马回比一般人小，而运动有助于海马回的生长，可以帮助患者释放心中的抑郁，且当肌肉中的肝糖用完时，会增加“脑内啡”的产生，并带来愉悦感。

Researchers found that the hippocampal gyrus of depressed patients is smaller than the average person, and exercise helps the growth of the hippocampal gyrus, which can help patients release depression in their hearts, and when the liver sugar in the muscle is used up will increase the production of "endorphins" and bring a sense of pleasure.

在低强度的运动下大脑也会释放一种为“脑源性神经营养因子(Brain-derived neurotrophic factor)”的蛋白质，有助于修复和保护脑细胞，而大脑生长新细胞和神经的过程会让人心情更好。

In low-intensity exercise, the brain will also release a kind of "brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor)" protein, which helps repair and protect brain cells, and the process of growing new cells and nerves in the brain will make people feel better!

结论

Conclusion

运动并不是万能药，也不是对每个忧郁症患者都有效，但能提升精神、有益于身体。选择健康的方式，不是为了谁，而是为了自己。

Exercise is not a panacea, nor does it work for everyone with depression, but it can be mentally uplifting and physically beneficial. Choose to be healthy, not for anyone, but for yourself.

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