Exercise helps heal the heart and the mind, reports the Harvard Heart Letter

Mind and body are really two halves of the same whole. Each profoundly influences the other. Depression and heart disease are a good example of this duality. People who are depressed are more likely to develop heart disease than people who aren’t depressed, and those who have heart disease are more likely to fall into depression. But it is possible to exploit this two-way street and simultaneously heal the mind and the heart, reports the February 2009 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter.

Depression isn’t just in the mind. It causes a host of physical changes that can lead to heart trouble. It increases inflammation, which is involved in artery-clogging atherosclerosis and the rupture of plaque. It boosts the production of stress hormones, which dull the response of the heart and arteries. It activates blood platelets, making them more likely to form clots in the bloodstream.

Behavioral changes wrought by depression may be even more important. People who are depressed find it hard to exercise, to pay attention to what they are eating, and to take medicines needed to protect the heart.

Depression isn’t a passing phase. Trying to “get through” depression by slogging onward is like trying to “get over” diabetes. Fortunately, a variety of treatments—especially exercise—can fight depression. The Harvard Heart Letter notes that a regular exercise program can improve mood even as it strengthens the heart by releasing mood-altering chemicals in the brain, improving the supply of energy and oxygen to the brain, spurring the growth of new nerve cells in the brain, and reinforcing connections between existing nerves.