Looking for a Wonder Cure? Try Exercise
Physical activity can stave off addiction, depression, stress and more

(HealthDay News) -- While everyone seems to be in pursuit of a magic bullet that can help them stay young and feel better, the real answer may be right under them.

Just start walking.

Research suggests that exercise plays a key role in the health of the mind. Exercise has been shown to help addiction, depression, stress and even Alzheimer's disease.

"There's no question that exercise improves blood flow to the brain," Dr. Marc Siegel, an internist at New York University Medical Center in New York City , told HealthDay . One recent study found that just a minimal amount of exercise three times a week could cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's and other types of dementia by up to 40 percent.

Not only does exercise help improve blood flow to the brain, it also "helps the body detoxify, it puts you on a better cycle of physical behavior and it leads to decreased stress," Siegel said. "It also improves thinking and mental function, and decreases your tendency toward addiction," he added.

"Exercise is a ritualistic activity that redirects your energy," said Siegel, who also wrote a book on worry and stress. "Stress is a build-up of inactivity, of over-thinking without release. But exercise gives you a physical release that diminishes that psychic frustration."

James Maddux, a psychology professor at George Mason University in Virginia , told HealthDay : "There's evidence that exercise is maybe the best non-pharmacological antidepressant we have. Studies have shown that it works better than some drugs. It's also a great anti-anxiety intervention."

Some of its effect may come from the release of endorphins -- the body's own 'feel-good' chemical -- that occurs during exercise, but Siegel explains that the beneficial effects of exercise go beyond the release of endorphins.

Studies have shown that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. It can also help in managing chronic disease, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity, according to the government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The agency also reports that exercise can improve people's ability to function as they get older, as well as the ability to continue living independently.

There is also consistent scientific evidence that exercise can lower mortality, lower the risk of heart disease and lower the risk of certain cancers, including colon cancer, according to the agency. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, helps prevent diabetes and reduces the likelihood of falls and injuries.

But perhaps the best news about exercise is that it appears that it's never too late to start exercising to reap its benefits.

In fact, because the risk of chronic diseases increases with age, people who start exercising when they're older may get even more dramatic benefits from starting an exercise program.

On the Web

To learn more about exercise for older people, visit the National Institute on Aging.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Marc Siegel, M.D., internist, New York University Medical Center, associate professor of medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York City, and author, False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear ; James Maddux, Ph.D., professor of psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (www.ahrq.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Feb. 29, 2008
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