TY - JOUR
T1 - Growth hormone, prolactin and cortisol response to exercise in patients with depression
AU - Krogh, Jesper
AU - Nordentoft, Merete
AU - Mohammad-Nezhad, Mahdi
AU - Westrin, Asa
N1 - Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PY - 2010/9
Y1 - 2010/9
N2 - Background: A blunted growth hormone and prolactin response to pharmacological stress test have previously been found in depressed patients, as well as an increased cortisol response to psychosocial stress. This study investigated these hormones in response to acute exercise using an incremental bicycle test. Method: A cross-sectional comparison of cortisol, growth hormone, and prolactin in depressed (n = 137) and healthy (n = 44) subjects during rest and in response to an incremental bicycle test. Secondly, we tested the depressed patients again after a 4-month randomized naturalistic exercise intervention. Results: Resting plasma levels of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, or prolactin (PRL) did not differ between depressed and healthy subjects (all p-values > .12). In response to an incremental bicycle test the GH (p = .02) and cortisol (p = .05) response in depressed was different compared to healthy controls. The effect of acute exercise stress on PRL (p = .56) did not differ between depressed and healthy subjects. Apart from a decrease in GH response in the strength-training group (p = .03) the pragmatic exercise intervention did not affect resting hormonal levels, or the response to acute exercise. Conclusions: Patients with mild to moderate depression had a different growth hormone and cortisol response to acute exercise stress compared to healthy controls. Strength training was able to reduce the growth hormone response to acute exercise stress in this patient population. Studies with more rigorous inclusion criteria and higher exercise frequencies are needed to evaluate and confirm the possible effect of exercise in depressed subjects.
AB - Background: A blunted growth hormone and prolactin response to pharmacological stress test have previously been found in depressed patients, as well as an increased cortisol response to psychosocial stress. This study investigated these hormones in response to acute exercise using an incremental bicycle test. Method: A cross-sectional comparison of cortisol, growth hormone, and prolactin in depressed (n = 137) and healthy (n = 44) subjects during rest and in response to an incremental bicycle test. Secondly, we tested the depressed patients again after a 4-month randomized naturalistic exercise intervention. Results: Resting plasma levels of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, or prolactin (PRL) did not differ between depressed and healthy subjects (all p-values > .12). In response to an incremental bicycle test the GH (p = .02) and cortisol (p = .05) response in depressed was different compared to healthy controls. The effect of acute exercise stress on PRL (p = .56) did not differ between depressed and healthy subjects. Apart from a decrease in GH response in the strength-training group (p = .03) the pragmatic exercise intervention did not affect resting hormonal levels, or the response to acute exercise. Conclusions: Patients with mild to moderate depression had a different growth hormone and cortisol response to acute exercise stress compared to healthy controls. Strength training was able to reduce the growth hormone response to acute exercise stress in this patient population. Studies with more rigorous inclusion criteria and higher exercise frequencies are needed to evaluate and confirm the possible effect of exercise in depressed subjects.
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2010.01.009
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2010.01.009
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0165-0327
SP - 189
EP - 197
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -