Jan 09, 2026
3 min read
One review suggests that exercise may reduce symptoms of depression in adults.detail
Physical exercise is a safe and accessible option for managing depression symptoms.
This is according to a recent review published in the Cochrane database coordinated by the University of Lancashire, UK.
The analysis noted that "exercise is as likely to reduce depressive symptoms as psychotherapy."
This approach is attractive because depression affects more than 280 million people worldwide and exercise provides other health benefits.
The findings are important because, according to reviews, exercise can be as effective as psychological therapy and comparable to antidepressants, though in the last case, the evidence is low safety.
"Our findings suggest that exercise is a safe and accessible option for managing depression symptoms," said Andrew Clegg, lead author of the study.
The research has been developed by a team of experts from the University of Lancashire, together with institutions such as the University of Edinburgh and the University of York.
Exercise and depression: the key question
Depression is one of the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.
Common treatments include psychotherapy and medication, but they are not always available or acceptable to all patients.
The scientific team assessed whether exercise could be an effective and easy-to-implement solution to this challenge.
The aim of the study was "to determine the effectiveness of exercise in the treatment of depression in adults compared to receiving no intervention, waiting list or placebo."
We sought to compare exercise against other active interventions such as psychotherapy and medication to measure its true effect.
The review included randomized controlled trials in adults with a diagnosis of depression.Studies in pediatric populations or on postpartum depression were omitted to focus on outcomes in adults.
The team assessed symptom reduction, treatment acceptability, quality of life and the occurrence of side effects.
Thus, a broader and more rigorous view of the utility of exercise as therapy was desired.
Analysis and results
The review looked at 73 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 5,000 adults.Physical exercise was compared with no intervention, psychotherapy and medication.
The main result suggests that "exercise may have a moderate benefit in reducing depressive symptoms compared to no treatment or control intervention."
When comparing exercise and psychotherapy, the difference is small: exercise has a similar effect on depression, based on moderate-strength scientific evidence from 10 trials.
Exercise also had a similar effect to medication, but the evidence was inconclusive.
As for side effects, "they are rare and include typical treatment-related effects such as occasional musculoskeletal damage in exercisers and fatigue and digestive problems in those taking antidepressants," the researchers explained.
Intensity was related"Light to moderate intensity exercise may be more beneficial than vigorous exercise," he said.Performance was associated with greater improvement between 13 and 36 sessions
It was not clear that any type of exercise was superior, although programs combined with strength training were clearly more effective than exercise alone.
It should be noted that activities such as yoga, qigong and stretching were not included in the main analysis.
Suggestions and Conclusions
From the research resultsThe research team recommends including exercise as part of depression treatment.By emphasizing safety and convenience.
They emphasize that "this shows that exercise works well for some people, but not all, and it is important to find strategies that people are willing to use and can maintain."
Among the study's limitations, the authors cautioned that "most trials were small, with fewer than 100 participants, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions."
Long-term effects are unclear because few studies have followed up.
The review concluded that exercise may be helpful in reducing symptoms of depression, but "larger, high-quality studies" are needed.
Exercise is a very effective and safe way to fight depression, and scientific research continues to determine the best methods and how to maintain results over time.
