Older women who are suffering from depression can overcome the problem by donning their ladies fitness clothing and taking part in tai chi sessions, a study has suggested.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)conducted a study involving 112 depressed adults aged over 60.

Some of the participants took part in tai chi classes while the others attended health education classes.

Both groups experienced an improvement in the severity of their depression, but this was greater in those who completed the exercise classes.

"This is the first study to demonstrate the benefits of tai chi in the management of late-life depression, and we were encouraged by the results," said first author Dr Helen Lavretsky, a UCLA professor-in-residence of psychiatry.

The results of the study have been published online in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Back in January, tai chi was recommended as a good balance-improving exercise in an updated version of the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatric Society's guidelines on preventing falls in older people.

Posted by Martin Sebborn ADNFCR-2569-ID-800466119-ADNFCR

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