what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Regular exercise could help lift the cloud of major depression as effectively as an antidepressant, research shows.
"A lot of people know from their own experience that when they exercise, they feel better," says James Blumenthal, a professor of psychology at Duke university and lead author of the study.
Blumenthal conducted a placebo-controlled clinical trial, the first time the gold standard of research has been used to compare exercise with antidepressants for treatment of major depression....

how did it rate? (more information)

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

This is a study of 202 who were sorted into four groups. After four months, 47 per cent of the people taking Zoloft improved and 45 per cent of those who exercised in supervised groups improved. For those who exercised on their own 40 per cent improved. About 30 per cent of those taking placebo improved. It has long been thought that endorphin or serotonin levels, are stimulated during exercise.
While this is a short article it could have added in a few important details. We don't know if the patients were randomized to each of the groups (which would eliminate any selection bias) nor do we know how "improvement" is measured.

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