Using exercise to treat depression can be as effective as therapy or antidepressants, according to a new review of previous trials, potentially offering an affordable and personalized approach to improving mental health.
A team led by researchers from the University of Lancashire in the UK analyzed 73 randomized, controlled trials involving a total of almost 5,000 adults. The studies covered a variety of different exercise regimes and depression treatments.
Overall, the data showed that exercise can work as a way of easing the symptoms of depression, in line with findings from some previous investigations.
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However, results vary to some extent between individuals and between exercise types.
“Our findings suggest that exercise appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression,” says Andrew Clegg, a professor of Health Services Research at the University of Lancashire.
“This suggests that exercise works well for some people, but not for everyone, and finding approaches that individuals are willing and able to maintain is important.”
It remains to be seen if some types of exercise work better than others at tackling depression. (Gabin Vallet/Unsplash)
Across all of the trials, exercise was shown to be moderately beneficial for treating depression, compared to no treatment at all. It was about on a par with psychological therapy, and (with a lesser degree of certainty) antidepressants.
Light to moderate exercise seemed to work better than more vigorous activity when it came to alleviating symptoms of depression, the review found. Between 13 and 36 sessions appeared to be the sweet spot, though none of the trials tracked depression and exercise over a long period.
There was some evidence favoring the combination of different types of exercise, though no single activity type stood out as a clear winner. For exercise to provide benefits, it would need to be tailored to suit individual needs.
“For people with depression, the evidence indicates that exercise may offer similar short-term benefits to therapy or medication for some,” says neuroscientist Brendon Stubbs, from King’s College London, who wasn’t involved in the research.
“Decisions on switching or combining approaches should be made collaboratively with healthcare providers, considering individual circumstances.”
The review focused mainly on structured trials, and while this is beneficial in terms of the comprehensiveness of the data that gets collected, these types of experiments tend to attract people who are naturally more motivated and active.
Exercise works well for some people, but not for everyone. (Giza-01/500px Prime/Getty Images)
As the researchers acknowledge, more work needs to be done to look at different levels of depression, different types of exercise, and people with different existing relationships to keeping fit.
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What’s more, it remains critical to seek at least some professional help for depression where possible, as symptoms of depression can sometimes be the result of many other conditions, from vitamin D deficiency to autism.
Of course, exercise delivers a host of benefits, from boosting brain function to fighting diseases to limiting weight gain.
“Exercise can help people with depression, but if we want to find which types work best, for whom, and whether the benefits last over time, we still need larger, high-quality studies,” says Clegg.
“One large, well-conducted trial is much better than numerous poor-quality small trials with limited numbers of participants in each.”
The research has been published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.