Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Physical Therapy - Department of Physical Therapy for Gynecology and Obstetrics

This study was conducted to determine the effect of aerobic exercise versus diet rich in tryptophan on post menopausal depression. Thirty post menopausal women participated in this study. They complained from mild to moderate depression according to beck depression inventory (BDI). They were chosen from outpatient clinic of faculty of physical therapy Cairo university. Their ages ranged from 55 to 65 years old. They were divided randomly into two groups equal in number, group (A) treated by aerobic exercise for 4 weeks while group (B) treated by diet rich in tryptophan for 4 weeks. Depression was evaluated by BDI before and after the program for both groups. The obtained results showed a statistically significant decrease (P < 0.05) in depression in both groups and there is no significant difference in pre and post treatment values of BDI between the two groups but when we compared the differences between pre and post treatment values for each group we found a statistically significant difference between both groups (more in group A). So that, it could be concluded that aerobic exercise and diet rich in tryptophan were effective adjunct methods in reducing postmenopausal depression but aerobic exercise is more effective than diet rich in tryptophan

Issued also as CD