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Published on: July 5, 2017
Depression decreases cardiorespiratory fitness in older women
Milton Hollenberg1, Tad Haight, Ira B Tager
1Department of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. milton.hollenberg@med.va.gov
Background:
Depression is associated with decreased physical functioning and increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Whereas physical fitness delays all-cause mortality, little is known of the exercise capacity of depressed women.
Method:
SPPARCS is a community-based longitudinal study of physical activity and fitness in people > or =55 years. Of 1,246 women, 663 were free of known cardiac and cerebrovascular disease, and performed treadmill exercise. Most (71%) were interviewed and retested 2 years and 4 years later (55%). Two indicators of depression were used: (a) Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) > or =16; (b) use of antidepressant medication.
Results:
By CES-D score, 8.4% had depressive symptoms (first round). Depressed women showed lower levels of all markers of treadmill exercise [exercise duration, peak VO2, Oxygen Uptake Efficiency Slope (OUES)].
Conclusions:
Depression is associated with impaired physical fitness and treadmill exercise performance in older women.
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