Physical activity improves symptoms of depression and anxiety in many adult populations

1. In this umbrella review, physical activity was effective in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety, not only in those with mental health disorders and chronic diseases, but also in the general population.

2. In addition, the greatest benefit of physical activity was seen in interventions involving high-intensity physical activity.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Despite the established benefits of physical activity (PA) in improving mental health, its therapeutic value has not yet been widely adopted by practitioners. At present, the literature has focused on the benefits of PA in specific subgroups, but no study has undertaken a comprehensive review to summarize the overall findings. As a result, the objective of the present study was to synthesize the evidence regarding all modes of PA on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in a heterogeneous population of adults.

Of 1208 identified records, 97 (n=128,119 participants) studies were included from various sources from database inception to January 2022. Studies were included if they investigated the effect of any PA intervention on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Studies were excluded if PA was combined with another intervention or if the intervention consisted of a single PA session. The review was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Evidence grading was performed using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of evidence and grades for recommendations. The primary outcome was symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The results demonstrated that PA was effective in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety across all adult populations studied. The greatest benefit of PA was seen in pregnant and postpartum women, those with depression, HIV, or kidney disease, and otherwise healthy individuals. Furthermore, interventions involving high-intensity PA conferred the greatest benefit. Despite these results, the study was limited by the lack of blinding of participants in PA trials which may have affected the current findings. Nonetheless, the present study added further evidence to support the inclusion of PA as a mainstay treatment in managing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Click to read the study in British Journal of Sports Medicine

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