Australian Team Analyzes 79,551 People in Large-Scale Study
Aerobic Exercises Like Running, Swimming, and Dancing Ease Depression
"As Effective as, or Better Than, Medication and Talk Therapy"
A large-scale study has found that aerobic exercises such as running, swimming, and dancing are the most effective at alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety. An Australian research team analyzed data from more than 80,000 people and found that exercise produced improvements similar to, or greater than, those seen with medication or talk therapy.
On February 11 (local time), a research team led by Professor Neil Richard Munro at James Cook University in Australia published these findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The team reanalyzed 81 pooled datasets involving a total of 79,551 participants to comprehensively compare the impact of exercise on symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Although many previous studies have reported that exercise can be as effective as psychological or pharmacological treatment, the differences in effectiveness by age group, frequency, and intensity had not been clearly established. To address this, the researchers placed no restrictions on age or clinical diagnosis, and systematically examined the effects according to exercise type, duration, frequency, intensity, and whether the activity was supervised.
The analysis confirmed that all types of exercise significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. In particular, aerobic exercise produced the greatest relief for both conditions.
The antidepressant effect was especially pronounced among young adults aged 18 to 30 and women in the postpartum period. Symptoms also tended to decrease more when people exercised in groups under professional supervision than when they exercised alone.
In contrast, for alleviating anxiety symptoms, maintaining relatively low-intensity exercise for shorter periods on a regular basis was found to be more effective than engaging in prolonged high-intensity workouts. Aerobic exercise, resistance training, mind-body exercise, and combined exercise all showed moderate levels of improvement.
With up to one in four people worldwide estimated to experience depression or anxiety, the study suggests that exercise can serve as a practical alternative, not merely an adjunct, to conventional treatment.
The research team explained, "Considering cost, accessibility, and the added benefits for physical health, exercise has the potential to be a first-line treatment in settings where traditional mental health care is difficult to access." However, they added that it is necessary to design tailored programs suited to each individual's condition.
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