A groundbreaking year-long study shows that just 150 minutes of weekly exercise can lower stress hormones, boost mental health, and even help slow brain aging.
Struggling with stress? Regular exercise may be the key to reducing cortisol and improving health, suggests a new study.
Researchers conducted a year-long randomized clinical trial—the first of its kind—to study how aerobic exercise affects stress and emotional health over time. The study was led by Dr. Peter J. Gianaros from the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Kirk I. Erickson from the AdventHealth Research Institute.
Their team looked at how following the American Heart Association’s physical activity guidelines impacts biological markers of stress and emotion, especially cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone.
The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Effects of a year-long aerobic exercise intervention on neuroendocrine, autonomic, and neural correlates of stress, emotion, and cardiovascular disease risk in midlife adults
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Does 150 Minutes of Weekly Exercise Lower Stress Hormones?
The study included 130 adults who were 26 to 58 years old. The participants were split into two groups: one group engaged in 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity every week for a year, while the other group received general information about health habits, but they did not change their physical activity levels. Over the course of the year, researchers monitored changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, cortisol, and several other measures of stress and emotion using brain imaging and other state-of-the-art techniques.
Reduce Stress, Boost Health: How Regular Exercise Lowers Cortisol Levels
One of the standout findings was a significant reduction in long-term cortisol levels among participants who were in the exercise condition of the clinical trial. Cortisol is the body’s key stress hormone that plays a role in many functions, including metabolism, immunity, sleep, memory, and mood regulation. High levels of cortisol are also linked to heart disease, metabolic disorders, and mental health conditions.
Physical Activity May Lower Stress Hormones and Support Brain Health
As Dr. Gianaros explained, “The effect of exercise on long-term cortisol levels could be one of the mechanisms or benefits of exercise that protect against several diseases and some mental health conditions, but more research is needed to fully explore this possibility.”
Exercise is More Than Fitness: It’s a Stress-Reducing Therapy
The implications of this new clinical trial are significant, particularly because most of the research in this area is correlational and cannot establish cause-and-effect. The trial is also unique because no study has examined exercise and these measures of stress biology for a full year. Regular physical activity, as recommended by health guidelines, may be a simple yet effective behavioral strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of stress and improve quality of life.
A prior publication from this clinical trial also documented the benefits of exercise beyond cortisol levels. Using advanced brain imaging techniques, the trial showed that exercise may also slow the pace of brain aging.
Exercise Today for a Healthier Tomorrow
Dr. Gianaros and Dr. Erickson hope that these new findings will draw more attention to the ways in which meeting the recommended goal of 150 minutes of physical activity per week may benefit mental resilience and overall health.
Reference:
- Effects of a year-long aerobic exercise intervention on neuroendocrine, autonomic, and neural correlates of stress, emotion, and cardiovascular disease risk in midlife adults – (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254626000128)
Source-Eurekalert