A new study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews suggests that regular exercise may be about as effective as therapy, and potentially even as effective as antidepressants, for easing the symptoms of depression.
The systematic review included data from 73 randomized controlled trials that included nearly 5,000 participants. The trials studied how exercise compared to a variety of control conditions for treating depression, including no treatment, antidepressants, and psychological therapy. Exercise has previously shown a variety of health benefits for both mental health and physical health across multiple studies. This review sought to determine how exercise might compare to other treatments for depression, particularly therapy, pharmacological treatment, or no treatment.
The results showed that exercise led to moderate reductions in the symptoms of depression compared to no treatment. Regular exercise showed similar benefits to psychological therapy for treatment of depressive symptoms according to the results of ten trials featuring over 400 participants, and the authors considered this conclusion to have moderate certainty of evidence. Compared to pharmacological treatments, exercise also had similar benefits for the treatment of depression, although this conclusion was based on the results of five trials and was considered to have low certainty of evidence.
The authors noted that exercise may be a safe, accessible option for managing the symptoms of depression for many people, although it may not work for everyone. While no specific type of exercise appeared better than others for managing symptoms, light to moderate activity appeared more effective than vigorous activity. Additionally, programs that combined different types of exercise, such as resistance training and aerobic training, seemed to be more effective than aerobic training alone. While more research is needed to confirm and expand these results, incorporating regular exercise may be a safe and relatively effective way to help manage the symptoms of depression.
Sources: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Science Daily