title: Effects of physical exercise on depression, neuroendocrine stress hormones and physiological fitness in adolescent females with depressive symptoms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regular physical exercise may improve a variety of physiological and psychological factors in depressive persons. However, there is little experimental evidence to support this assumption for adolescent populations. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of physical exercise on depressive state, the excretions of stress hormones and physiological fitness variables in adolescent females with depressive symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine female volunteers (aged 18-20 years; mean 18.8 +/- 0.7 years) with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, as measured by the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, were randomly assigned to either an exercise regimen or usual daily activities for 8 weeks. The subjects were then crossed over to the alternate regimen for an additional 8-week period. The exercise program consisted of five 50-min sessions per week of a group jogging training at a mild intensity. The variables measured were CES-D rating scale, urinary cortisol and epinephrine levels, and cardiorespiratory factors at rest and during exercise endurance test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the sessions of exercise the CES-D total depressive score showed a significant decrease, whereas no effect was observed after the period of usual daily activities (ANOVA). Twenty-four hour excretions of cortisol and epinephrine in urine were reduced due to the exercise regimen. The training group had a significantly reduced resting heart rate and increased peak oxygen uptake and lung capacity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that a group jogging exercise may be effective in improving depressive state, hormonal response to stress and physiological fitness of adolescent females with depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Chanudda
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nabkasorn
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyai
authors.forename: Anek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sootmongkol
authors.forename: Suwanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Junprasert
authors.forename: Hiroichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arita
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyashita
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012420:Running; D013785:Thailand