The effect of a period of aerobic training on blood levels of serotonin and endorphin and decreasing depression in addicted women to drug

Background and Objective: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, which imposes a large burden on the health care system. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a period of aerobic training on blood levels of serotonin and endorphin and decreasing depression in addicted women to drug.   Materials and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study. A total of 30 addicted women to drug with moderate to severe depression were selected to participate as a purposeful and available sample and were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. Experimental group received 8 weeks (3 sessions per week) of aerobic exercise intensity in 60-80% of maximum heart rate, while the control group did not take part in any regular physical activity. To measure blood levels of serotonin and endorphin, in two stages, before and after training, 5 ml of blood was collected from the brachial vein of the subjects. Data were analyzed using independent and paired sample t tests. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.   Results: Eitgh weeks of aerobic training significantly increased blood levels of serotonin and endorphin and reduced depression in the experimental group as compared to the control (P<0.05).   Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that aerobic training can affect blood levels of serotonin and endorphin and improve the depression in addicted women to drug.