Research Impact: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant public health problem, but most people with AUD never seek treatment. Exercise is increasingly used in AUD treatment, but less is known about short-term effects. Here, we investigated effects of acute exercise on alcohol craving, mood states, and state anxiety in 140 non-treatment seeking Swedish adults with AUD. Alcohol craving (g=0.53) and mood disturbance (g=0.57) were significantly reduced following 12-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity cycling (RPE=16), with larger improvements among those with severe AUD. Improvements persisted at 30-minutes post-exercise. Findings supported short bouts of exercise to reduce craving and improve mood in AUD.
Hallgren M, Vancampfort D, Hoang MT, Andersson V, Ekblom O, Andreasson S, Herring MP (2021). Effects of acute exercise on craving, mood and anxiety in non-treatment seeking adults with alcohol use disorder: An exploratory study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108506. (IF: 3.951; Q1 Psychiatry; R=37/155)
PESS News & Information 