Depression and anxiety affect millions of people worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While treatments such as medication and psychotherapy (sometimes called talk therapy) can be very effective, they\u2019re not always an option. Barriers include cost, stigma, long waiting lists for appointments, and potential drug side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what about exercise? Our new research, published today, confirms physical activity can be just as effective for some people as therapy or medication. This is especially true when it\u2019s social and guided by a professional, such as a gym class or running club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take a look at the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Physical activity has long been promoted as a treatment option for anxiety and depression, largely because it helps release \u201cfeel good\u201d chemicals in the brain which help boost mood and reduce stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the evidence can be confusing. Hundreds of studies with diverse results make it unclear how much exercise is beneficial, what type, and who it helps most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past two decades, researchers have conducted dozens of separate meta-analyses (studies that combine results from multiple trials) examining exercise for depression and anxiety. But these have still left gaps in understanding how effective exercise is for different age groups and whether the type of exercise matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many studies have also included participants with confounding factors (influences that can distort research findings) such as other chronic diseases, for example, diabetes or arthritis. This means it can be hard to apply the findings more broadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our research aimed to resolve this confusion by conducting a \u201cmeta-meta-analysis\u201d. This means we systematically reviewed the results of all the existing meta-analyses \u2013 there were 81 \u2013 to determine what the evidence really shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, this meant data from nearly 80,000 participants across more than 1,000 original trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We examined multiple factors that might explain why their results varied. These included differences in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also used advanced statistical techniques to accurately isolate and estimate the exact impact of exercise, separate from confounding factors (including other chronic diseases).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our data looked at the impact of exercise alone on depression and anxiety. But sometimes people will also use antidepressants and\/or therapy \u2013 so further research would be needed to explore the effect of these when combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise is effective at reducing both depression and anxiety. But there is some nuance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We found exercising had a high impact on depression symptoms, and a medium impact on anxiety, compared to staying inactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The benefits were comparable to, and in some cases better than, more widely prescribed mental health treatments, including therapy and antidepressants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Importantly, we discovered who exercise helped most. Two groups showed the most improvement: adults aged 18 to 30 and women who had recently given birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many women experience barriers to exercising after giving birth, including lack of time, confidence or access to appropriate and affordable activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our findings suggest making it more accessible could be an important strategy to address new mothers\u2019 mental health in this vulnerable time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also found aerobic activities \u2013 such as walking, running, cycling or swimming \u2013 were best at reducing both depression and anxiety symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, all forms of exercise reduced symptoms, including resistance training (such as lifting weights) and mind-body practices (such as yoga).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For depression, there were greater improvements when people exercised with others and were guided by a professional, such as a group fitness class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, there wasn\u2019t available data on group or supervised exercise for anxiety, so we would need more research to find out if the impact is similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercising once or twice a week had a similar effect on depression as exercising more frequently. And there didn\u2019t seem to be a significant difference between exercising vigorously or at a low intensity \u2013 all were beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But for anxiety, the best improvements in anxiety symptoms were when exercise was done:<\/p>\n\n\n\n