Exercise could be just as good at treating depression as therapy or even medication, an extensive review has suggested.
Analysing existing evidence, including results from 73 trials and nearly 5,000 patients, scientists found that exercise had a “similar effect” on symptoms of depression when compared with psychological therapies.
The team, from the University of Lancashire, said that the results suggested that exercise was a “safe and accessible” option for managing depression.
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In any given week in England, about four in 100 people will be diagnosed with depression, according to the mental health charity Mind. Many are treated through psychological therapies or with medication.
In an updated review using the Cochrane method, researchers analysed randomised controlled trials that evaluated exercise to treat depression compared with no intervention, psychological therapy, or antidepressant medications.
Exercising was found to have a “moderate” benefit in reducing symptoms compared with no treatment.
Ten trials compared exercise with therapies. Scientists concluded that “there is probably little to no difference” between the effect that either had on depression.
Moderate-intensity exercise was found to be more beneficial than vigorous exercise
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Five of the studies included in the review compared physical activity with medications, finding “little to no difference” in the effect on symptoms, with researchers adding that this effect was “very uncertain at long-term follow-up”.
The team found that no single type of exercise trumped others, but did find that mixed programmes with both cardio and resistance training were more effective than aerobic exercise alone. Moderate-intensity exercise was also found to be more beneficial than vigorous exercise, the team said.
“Our findings suggest that exercise appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression,” Professor Andrew Clegg, the lead author of the review, said.“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.”
“Although we’ve added more trials in this update, the findings are similar,” he added.
“Exercise can help people with depression, but if we want to find which types work best, for who and whether the benefits last over time, we still need larger, high-quality studies. One large, well-conducted trial is much better than numerous poor quality small trials with limited numbers of participants in each.”