Fighting depression symptoms with exercise?

The benefits of practicing sports have been known for a long time, especially in the prevention of pathologies such as diabetes, cancer, or obesity. Several studies have suggested that physical activity would also be particularly effective in combating depressive symptoms.

The positive effects of sport are so important that a group of experts convened by Inserm had recommended that physical activity should even be prescribed systematically in the case of chronic diseases, which has been implemented since 2019. A meta-analysis and systematic review recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine studied the efficacy of physical activity on depressive symptoms.

The review compiled the results of 41 studies, including a total of 2,264 participants aged 18 years or older with major depressive disorder or depressive symptoms diagnosed by validated questionnaires. The exercise group performed aerobic and/or muscle resistance exercises and was compared with a control group that did not exercise. Analyses showed a significant effect in favor of physical exercise, given the decrease in depressive symptoms.

Although the results should be viewed with caution given the sometimes limited sample size and heterogeneity of methods, physical exercise appears to be an effective treatment for depressive disorders that should be routinely offered as part of patient management.