A new study by a team of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin reveals that exercise improves sexual functioning impaired by antidepressant use, reports Headlines and Global News.  Public health officials are excited about these results because they indicate the possibility of a low-cost solution to sexual dysfunction.  The researchers recruited 52 female participants that had experienced sexual side effects that were related to their antidepressant use.

The participants were split into two groups.  Both groups were asked to participate in regular sexual activity, but one group was also asked to engage in 30 minutes of strength and cardio training three times a week.  The participants were also asked to report on their sexual functioning, satisfaction, and psychological health.

Regular exercise was found to improve orgasm function in all of the participants, but physical activity closer to intercourse was found to be most effective.  The researchers found that women who engaged in 30 minutes of exercise directly before intercourse reduced the sexual impairment effects of their prescribed antidepressants.  Researchers theorize that the positive effect could be due to an increase in blood flow to the genitals brought on by antidepressants.

An earlier article from the National Monitor describes a recent study on the link between exercise and dementia.  Physical exertion could reduce the impact of dementia by improving their cognitive functioning and ability to carry out everyday activities.  Researchers caution that more evidence is needed to understand the role exercise can play and how it might reduce the burden on the healthcare system by offering a non-medical intervention.

Another recent study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, examined the relationship between exercise and cancer.  Existing literature supports an inverse association between physical activity and postmenopausal breast cancer.  The researchers studied associations with moderate physical activity, which includes walking, and if those associations were impacted by other factors such as body mass index, postmenopausal hormones, adult weight gain, and estrogen receptor status.

Finally, exercise can also help with depression.  A study published by the Cochrane Collaboration examined the effectiveness of exercise as a treatment for depression in adults.  The researchers examined whether or not adults that were receiving no other treatments showed improvement with exercise.  They concluded that exercise had a modest impact in reducing depression.  In comparison to psychological or pharmacological treatments for depression, there was no statistically significant difference with using exercise to improve depression instead.