popular exercise regimen may reduce the need for prescription drugs – recent research

Although CrossFit is often perceived as a sport that requires great fitness, that shouldn’t discourage you from trying it. CrossFit is designed to be accessible to everyone, with scalable workouts to suit all ages and abilities, on the principle that the needs of elite athletes and beginners differ only in intensity, not type. By combining strength and aerobic exercises, CrossFit can be an effective way to improve functional fitness, muscle strength and cardiovascular health.

But if that’s not enough to convince you, our latest study suggests that CrossFit’s physical health benefits could even potentially reduce the need for prescription medications for people with chronic diseases. This could provide an alternative to established drug-based treatments for a range of conditions, and potentially reduce demand for healthcare services.

To conduct our study, we recruited 1,211 people from the UK who practiced CrossFit. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 67 years of age, although most participants were in the 30–39 (38%) or 40–49 (26%) age groups. Participants were asked about their health, what prescription medications they were taking, and any changes in regulations since starting CrossFit.

Of the 1,211 participants, 280 said they took at least one prescription drug to manage their condition before starting CrossFit. The most common conditions included anxiety and depression, asthma, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and chronic pain.

We found that 54% of participants who were taking prescription medications before starting CrossFit reported that they reduced their dosage after starting. Of this group of 151 people, 69 reported stopping their medications completely, and the remaining 82 said they had reduced their prescribed doses by more than half. This improvement occurred mainly within the first six months of training.

Younger participants, especially those aged 20 to 29, were more likely to reduce their medication intake. In this group, 43% reported reducing their prescription drug dose by more than half, and 27% stopped using the prescription drug altogether (compared with 29% and 25%, respectively, of all age groups).

We also found that 40% of all participants said they required fewer doctor visits after starting CrossFit.

For people suffering from long-term health problems such as chronic pain, CrossFit has helped many manage their symptoms. Our study found that of participants who reported taking painkillers before starting CrossFit, specifically to treat arthritis or back pain, more than half reduced their medication intake.

Some have even postponed or canceled surgeries for joint or muscle problems because of the strength and fitness they gained after starting CrossFit. Of the 71 people who reported canceling or postponing surgery, 55% said it was because their symptoms improved, and 31% actually said they no longer needed surgery at all.

Benefits of CrossFit

Although our study cannot directly prove that CrossFit caused these changes, the impact that CrossFit has on so many aspects of health may facilitate explain why people who exercise regularly saw a decline in prescription drug apply.

First of all, CrossFit obviously has a beneficial effect on physical fitness. Improvements in areas such as circulatory system efficiency AND metabolic health can facilitate treat chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes AND high blood pressure.

Second, because CrossFit is often done in a group setting in a gym, it fosters a sense of community, team spirit, and support. This sense of community can improve mental health and well-being. Exercise too releases endorphins – chemicals in the brain that escalate happiness and reduce pain. These two factors may facilitate explain why many study participants reported using fewer antidepressants after starting CrossFit.

Third, the fact that CrossFit’s combination of strength, aerobic and functional exercises helps improve performance muscle strength and endurance can relieve pressure on joints and reduce pain. The high intensity of CrossFit also promotes the release of endorphins that can relieve discomfort and escalate physical resilience, leaving participants feeling more empowered and uplifted.

CrossFit also emphasizes movement patterns and mobility, which can facilitate you improve flexibility and reduced stiffness. All of these factors may facilitate explain why some participants who suffered from chronic pain before starting CrossFit were less reliant on painkillers after six months of training

Nevertheless, this study has some limitations that should be kept in mind. The data is based on self-reported information, which may lead to biased results because participants may not remember exactly what prescription medications they were taking or be influenced by their feelings about CrossFit.

Additionally, the study did not take into account other lifestyle changes participants may have made, such as dietary modifications or other forms of exercise. Therefore, more research is needed to understand the full picture. Nevertheless, our findings provide promising evidence for the benefits of CrossFit that may facilitate reduce the burden on health care services.