Aerobic exercise against symptoms of depression and anxiety

Aerobic exercise, such as run, swim and dancecan be very effective in relieving symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to an overview and data synthesis of the available evidence, carried out by James Cook University (Australia). The work is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

While supervised and group exercise may be better for reduce depressionlower intensity and shorter exercise (up to 8 weeks) may be better for relieving anxiety. But all forms of exercise are as good or better than medication and talking therapies, regardless of age or gender, the results indicate.

Depression and anxiety affect up to 1 in 4 people worldwidewith a higher prevalence among young people and women, the researchers point out. Additionally, previously published research suggests that exercise compares favorably to psychotherapy and medication. to relieve symptomsthe researchers add. However, it is unclear how well exercise might work at different ages, frequencies, and intensities, and previous general syntheses have focused only on adults or have included participants with potentially influential factors, such as long-term illnesses.

Therefore, the researchers set out to exhaustively estimate the impact of exercise on symptoms of depression and anxiety in all age ranges.including those with and without a clinical diagnosis; and discover whether exercise type, duration, frequency, intensity and supervision, and individual or group participation could influence the results.

To do this, they reviewed research databases for pooled data analyzes of randomized controlled trials that compared exercise with another type of activity, a placebo or no active intervention, and published in English through July 2025. Eligibility criteria included planned, structured, repetitive and purposeful physical activities to improve physical and mental health; and all forms, intensities, frequencies and configurations (individual or group) of exercise.

In the case of depressionwere included in the general synthesis 57 analyzes of pooled data comprising 800 component studies and involving 57,930 participants aged 10 to 90 years. These participants had been diagnosed with clinical depression or had depressive symptoms, but had no other coexisting conditions. The exercise interventions were classified into aerobics (19 pooled data analysis); resistancelike the strength training (8); of mind and bodysuch as yoga, tai chi and qigong (16); or one combination (39).

for anxietywere included in the general synthesis 24 pooled data analysiswhich covered 258 component studies and 19,368 participants between 18 and 67 years old. The exercise interventions were classified into aerobics (7); resistance (1); mind-body (9); and mixed (13).

Synthesis of pooled data analyzes showed that exercise had a medium-sized effect on depression symptoms and a small to medium-sized effect on anxiety symptoms, with the most substantial effects found in young adults (18-30) and women who had recently given birth.

All forms of exercise were associated with positive effectsthe formats being Aerobic, group and supervised exercises are the most effective in relieving symptoms of depression. The exercises Aerobic, resistance, mind-body, and a combination of different exercise formats had a moderate impact on alleviating anxiety symptoms. The effects were equal to or better than those of medication or talking therapies.

The researchers acknowledge some limitations in their findings. These include the interpretations variables of exercise intensity and duration in pooled data analyses, and the relative paucity of pooled data analyzes on the impact of exercise across the lifespan.

But still, the researchers insist: “This meta-meta-analysis provides strong evidence that exercise effectively reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety in all age groups, comparable to, or surpassing, traditional pharmacological or psychological interventions.

Group and supervised formats offered the most substantial benefits, underscoring the importance of social factors in mental health interventions. Since evidence indicates that different characteristics of exercise appear to affect depression and anxiety to different magnitudes, it is essential to prescribe personalized exercise programs.

In this way, they conclude: “Given the value for money, accessibility and additional benefits of exercise for physical health, these results underline the potential of exercise as a first-line interventionparticularly in settings where traditional mental health treatments may be less accessible or acceptable.”