Researchers at the University of South Australia suggest that physical activity is a key strategy for controlling depression as a new study has shown that it is up to 1.5 times more beneficial than psychotherapy or the most popular drugs. The review, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, included 97 studies, 1039 trials and 1,28,119 participants. This is by far the most comprehensive. It shows how much better symptoms of sadness, anxiety and distress are when people are physically active.
In particular, the review showed that exercise interventions of 12 weeks or less were most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, highlighting the speed at which physical activity can make a difference. The greatest benefits were seen in those with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy individuals, and those with HIV or kidney disease.
According to the World Health Organisation, one in eight people worldwide (970 million people) live with a mental disorder. Poor mental health costs the world economy approximately US$2.5 trillion each year, a cost projected to rise to US$6 trillion by 2030. In Australia, an estimated one in five people (aged 16–85) have experienced a mental disorder in the past 12 years. months. Lead UNSA researcher, Dr Ben Singh, says physical activity should be prioritized to better manage the rising incidence of mental health conditions.
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“Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. Despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment,” says Dr Singh. “Our review suggests that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement.”
High-intensity exercise resulted in greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects than short- and mid-duration bursts. “We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, Pilates and yoga,” Singh said.
Senior researcher, Professor Carol Maher from UniSA, says the study is the first to evaluate the effects of all forms of physical activity on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in all adult populations. “Examining these studies thoroughly is an effective way for clinicians to more easily understand the body of evidence that supports physical activity in the management of mental health disorders. We hope that this review will serve as a mainstay.” would underscore the need for physical activity, including structured exercise intervention approaches to the management of depression and anxiety,” Maher said.