Exercise Rivals Medication in Treating Depression, Anxiety, Study Finds

Aerobic exercises such as running, swimming, and dancing may be most effective in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety, with all forms of exercise proving as effective as or more effective than medication or talk therapy, according to new research.

A research team led by Professor Neil Richard Munro at James Cook University in Australia published findings on Feb. 11 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine after reanalyzing 81 meta-analyses encompassing 79,551 participants that compared the effects of exercise versus other activities and placebos on depression and anxiety symptoms.

"Considering cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and additional physical health benefits, these results demonstrate the potential for exercise to serve as a primary treatment for depression and anxiety in settings where traditional mental health treatments are difficult to access or have low acceptance," the researchers said.

Globally, up to one in four people experience depression or anxiety, with prevalence highest among young people and women.

The research team noted that while previous studies suggested exercise could be comparable to psychological and pharmacological treatments in symptom relief, the extent of effectiveness by age group, frequency, and intensity remained unclear.

The study aimed to comprehensively estimate the impact of exercise on depression and anxiety symptoms across all age groups regardless of clinical diagnosis, while examining whether exercise type, duration, frequency, intensity, and supervision affected outcomes.

The team selected and meta-analyzed 81 studies from research databases that compared exercise with other activities and placebos in randomized controlled trials published in English.

Exercise types were classified as aerobic, strength training, mind-body exercises such as yoga, and combined exercises. Exercise methods were divided by supervision status and group versus individual formats.

Results showed all forms of exercise significantly reduced depression and anxiety symptoms. Among exercise types, aerobic exercise demonstrated the greatest symptom relief for both conditions.

Depression improvement was particularly pronounced among young adults aged 18-30 and postpartum women. Supervised group exercise showed a tendency to produce greater reductions in depressive symptoms.

For anxiety relief, consistent low-intensity exercise for shorter durations proved more effective than longer or more intense sessions. Aerobic, resistance, mind-body, and combined exercises all showed moderate effectiveness.

The research team explained that all forms of exercise showed equal or superior effects compared to medication or talk therapy in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms regardless of age or gender.

"The finding that group and supervised exercise produces the greatest effects clearly demonstrates the importance of social factors in mental health," the researchers emphasized. "Given that various characteristics of exercise have different impacts on depression and anxiety, customized exercise programs should be prescribed."