Can exercise treat depression?

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1. 1

   Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

   BMJ (Noetel et al.)Published Feb 14, 2024Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “218 unique studies with a total of 495 arms and 14 170 participants were included. Compared with active controls (eg, usual care, placebo tablet), moderate reductions in depression were found for walking or jogging (n=1210, κ=51, Hedges' g -0.62, 95% credible interval -0.80 to -0.45), yoga (n=1047, κ=33, g -0.55, -0.73 to -0.36), strength training (n=643, κ=22, g -0.49, -0.69 to -0.29), mixed aerobic exercises (n=1286, κ=51, g -0.43, -0.61 to -0.24), and tai chi or qigong (n=343, κ=12, g -0.42, -0.65 to -0.21). The effects of exercise were proportional to the intensity prescribed. Strength training and yoga appeared to be the most acceptable modalities. Exercise is an effective treatment for depression, with walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training more effective than other exercises, particularly when intense. Yoga and strength training were well tolerated compared with other treatments. Exercise appeared equally effective for people with and without comorbidities and with different baseline levels of depression. To mitigate expectancy effects, future studies could aim to blind participants and staff.”

2. 2

   Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews

   British Journal of Sports Medicine (Singh et al.)Published Feb 16, 2023Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Ninety-seven reviews (1039 trials and 128 119 participants) were included. Populations included healthy adults, people with mental health disorders and people with various chronic diseases. Most reviews (n=77) had a critically low A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews score. Physical activity had medium effects on depression (median effect size=-0.43, IQR=-0.66 to -0.27), anxiety (median effect size=-0.42, IQR=-0.66 to -0.26) and psychological distress (effect size=-0.60, 95% CI -0.78 to -0.42), compared with usual care across all populations. The largest benefits were seen in people with depression, HIV and kidney disease, in pregnant and postpartum women, and in healthy individuals. Physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress across a wide range of adult populations, including the general population, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic disease. Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in the management of depression, anxiety and psychological distress. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021292710.”

3. 3

   Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of exercise on depression in adolescents

   Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (Wang et al.)Published Feb 28, 2022Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Fifteen articles, involving 19 comparisons, with a sample size of 1331, were included. Physical exercise significantly reduced adolescent depression (standardized mean difference [SMD] = - 0.64, 95% CI - 0.89, - 0.39, p < 0.01), with a moderate effect size, in both adolescents with depression (SMD = -0.57, 95% CI - 0.90, - 0.23, p < 0.01) and adolescents with depressive symptoms (SMD = - 0.67, 95% CI - 1.00, - 0.33, p < 0.01). In subgroups of different depression categories (depression or depressive symptoms), aerobic exercise was the main form of exercise for the treatment of adolescents with depression. For adolescents with depression, interventions lasting 6 weeks, 30 min/time, and 4 times/week had optimum results. The effects of aerobic exercise and resistance + aerobic exercise in the subgroup of adolescents with depressive symptoms were significant, while the effect of physical and mental exercise (yoga) was not significant. Physical exercise has a positive effect on the improvement of depression in adolescents. The protocol for this study was registered with INPLASY (202170013). DOI number is 10.37766/inplasy2021.7.0013. Registration Date:2021.7.06.”

4. 4

   Physical exercise and major depressive disorder in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

   Scientific Reports (Bedoya et al.)Published Aug 14, 2023Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “A sensitivity analysis was conducted for studies with controls without exercise interventions and a low risk of bias in the domains related to the randomization process and deviations from the intended interventions. The results showed that there are no statistically significant differences when interventions are compared with medication and body-mind exercise (p = 0.12, I2 = 78%). Furthermore, the analysis showed a moderate effect size favoring exercise, but no statistically significant difference between groups (p = 0.05), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 85%). The evidence quality was generally low to very low, and methodological limitations compromised the certainty of the findings. Adverse events associated with exercise were manageable. The study emphasizes the need for well-designed RCTs to provide clearer insights into the potential benefits of exercise in managing major depressive disorder symptoms. Caution is warranted in interpreting these results due to the limitations of the included studies. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022356741.”

5. 5

   Effect of exercise on depression severity in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

   The British Journal of Psychiatry (Bridle et al.)Published Sep 1, 2012Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Nine trials met the inclusion criteria and seven were meta-analysed. Exercise was associated with significantly lower depression severity (standardised mean difference (SMD) = -0.34, 95% CI -0.52 to -0.17), irrespective of whether participant eligibility was determined by clinical diagnosis (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI -0.67 to -0.10) or symptom checklist (SMD = -0.34, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.06). Results remained significant in sensitivity analyses. Our findings suggest that, for older people who present with clinically meaningful symptoms of depression, prescribing structured exercise tailored to individual ability will reduce depression severity.”

6. 6

   Micro-bursts matter: vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity and risk of common brain disorders in a prospective cohort study.

   The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity (Liu et al.)Published Aug 18, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Analyses were further stratified by exercise habit status.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of approximately 8 years, 2,150 anxiety (2.47%), 1,511 depression (1.81%), 676 dementia (0.74%), 343 Parkinson's disease (0.37%), and 1,385 stroke cases (1.55%) were identified. Higher VILPA frequency and duration were associated with lower risks of several brain disorders. Compared with the lowest quartile, modest VILPA levels were associated with reduced risks of anxiety (HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.71-0.90), depression (HR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.75-0.99), dementia (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.88), and Parkinson's disease (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.43-0.78). Associations with stroke were weaker and less consistent. Dose-response analyses showed inverse nonlinear associations for anxiety, depression, dementia, and Parkinson's disease, characterized by a steep initial decline followed by a gradual plateau. Similar patterns were observed among both exercisers and non-exercisers.ConclusionsVILPA was associated with lower risks of several common brain disorders. Incorporating brief bursts of vigorous movement into daily life may represent a feasible strategy for promoting brain health.”