Posted 8/26/2019 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting excerpt from an article about older people and depression.
"One study shows that “weightlifting can cut depression by 50 per cent for older people,” reports the Australian newspaper. Thus, weight lifting may be on a par with drug therapy in combating depression in seniors, according to geriatrician Dr. Nalin Singh of Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. In the study, which involved 60 men and women averaging 72 years of age, even those who did low-intensity exercises experienced “a 30 per cent drop in depression, the same as those who did not lift weights but received standard medical care,” says The Australian. Besides fighting depression, weight lifting strengthens “ageing bones and muscles, helping older people avoid falls. It also helps control arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure,” says the paper. Singh suggests that weight lifting “should be offered as a primary treatment for depression, especially for older people.”"