Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Depression

Overview

Journal Ir J Med Sci

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2010 Nov 16

PMID 21076975

Citations 158

Authors

P C Dinas

Y Koutedakis

A D Flouris

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is a very prevalent mental disorder affecting 340 million people globally and is projected to become the leading cause of disability and the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease by the year 2020.

Aim: In this paper, we review the evidence published to date in order to determine whether exercise and physical activity can be used as therapeutic means for acute and chronic depression. Topics covered include the definition, classification criteria and treatment of depression, the link between β-endorphin and exercise, the efficacy of exercise and physical activity as treatments for depression, properties of exercise stimuli used in intervention programs, as well as the efficacy of exercise and physical activity for treating depression in diseased individuals.

Conclusions: The presented evidence suggests that exercise and physical activity have beneficial effects on depression symptoms that are comparable to those of antidepressant treatments.

Citing Articles

Opening the window to the children's mind: the superior efficacy of open-ended physical games in the development of attention and socio-emotional skills.

Lyu S, Zhang W Front Psychol. 2025; 16:1511559.

PMID: 40045973 PMC: 11879968. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1511559.

How does physical education influence university students' psychological health? An analysis from the dual perspectives of social support and exercise behavior.

Han X, Li H, Niu L Front Psychol. 2025; 16:1457165.

PMID: 40040663 PMC: 11877448. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1457165.

The effects of a 12-week moderate-intensity continuous training intervention on depression, anxiety, and stress in sedentary female college students: a focus on negative emotion regulation.

Zeng Q, Zhang Y, Li H, Yuan J, Feng D, Zhu G Front Psychol. 2025; 16:1507198.

PMID: 40008338 PMC: 11850354. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1507198.

Psychometric evaluation of the exercise-related cognitive errors questionnaire among Chinese emerging adults.

Guo M, Kuang J, Wang T, Herold F, Taylor A, Ng J Front Psychol. 2025; 16:1515859.

PMID: 39973964 PMC: 11836487. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1515859.

Longitudinal relationships across sleep, physical activity, and mental wellbeing in early-to-mid-adolescence: a developmental cascades investigation.

Marquez J, Panayiotou M, Panayioutou M, Farzinnia R, Cheng Q, Humphrey N Qual Life Res. 2025; .

PMID: 39873879 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-025-03894-2.

References

Babyak M, Blumenthal J, Herman S, Khatri P, Doraiswamy M, Moore K . Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months. Psychosom Med. 2000; 62(5):633-8. DOI: 10.1097/00006842-200009000-00006. View

Klinkman M . Competing demands in psychosocial care. A model for the identification and treatment of depressive disorders in primary care. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1997; 19(2):98-111. DOI: 10.1016/s0163-8343(96)00145-4. View

Legrand F, Heuze J . Antidepressant effects associated with different exercise conditions in participants with depression: a pilot study. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2007; 29(3):348-64. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.29.3.348. View

Lewinsohn P, Rohde P, Seeley J, Fischer S . Age-cohort changes in the lifetime occurrence of depression and other mental disorders. J Abnorm Psychol. 1993; 102(1):110-20. DOI: 10.1037//0021-843x.102.1.110. View

Harris A, Cronkite R, Moos R . Physical activity, exercise coping, and depression in a 10-year cohort study of depressed patients. J Affect Disord. 2006; 93(1-3):79-85. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2006.02.013. View

Oxman T, Dietrich A, Schulberg H . The depression care manager and mental health specialist as collaborators within primary care. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2003; 11(5):507-16. View

Beniamini Y, Rubenstein J, Zaichkowsky L, Crim M . Effects of high-intensity strength training on quality-of-life parameters in cardiac rehabilitation patients. Am J Cardiol. 1997; 80(7):841-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9149(97)00533-x. View

Hung H, Kao P, Lin Y, Chen F, Chen F, Tsai J . Changes of serum beta-endorphin by programmed exercise training are correlated with improvement of clinical symptoms and quality of life in female mitral valve prolapse syndrome. Cardiology. 2006; 108(4):252-7. DOI: 10.1159/000096952. View

Castilla-Cortazar I, Castilla A, Gurpegui M . Opioid peptides and immunodysfunction in patients with major depression and anxiety disorders. J Physiol Biochem. 1999; 54(4):203-15. View

10.

Grisel J, Bartels J, Allen S, Turgeon V . Influence of beta-Endorphin on anxious behavior in mice: interaction with EtOH. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008; 200(1):105-15. PMC: 2818628. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-008-1161-4. View

11.

Hoffman M, Hoffman D . Exercisers achieve greater acute exercise-induced mood enhancement than nonexercisers. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008; 89(2):358-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.09.026. View

12.

Stanton J, Arroll B . The effect of moderate exercise on mood in mildly hypertensive volunteers: a randomized controlled trial. J Psychosom Res. 1996; 40(6):637-42. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3999(95)00643-5. View

13.

Fichna J, Janecka A, Costentin J, Do Rego J . The endomorphin system and its evolving neurophysiological role. Pharmacol Rev. 2007; 59(1):88-123. DOI: 10.1124/pr.59.1.3. View

14.

Kruijshaar M, Hoeymans N, Spijker J, Stouthard M, Essink-Bot M . Has the burden of depression been overestimated?. Bull World Health Organ. 2005; 83(6):443-8. PMC: 2626262. DOI: /S0042-96862005000600012. View

15.

Blumenthal J, Babyak M, Doraiswamy P, Watkins L, Hoffman B, Barbour K . Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom Med. 2007; 69(7):587-96. PMC: 2702700. DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e318148c19a. View

16.

Larun L, Nordheim L, Ekeland E, Hagen K, Heian F . Exercise in prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression among children and young people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006; (3):CD004691. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004691.pub2. View

17.

Escriba Quijada R, Maestre Montoya C, Amores Laserna P, Pastor Toledo A, Miralles Marco E, Escobar Rabadan F . Depression prevalence in adolescents. Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 2005; 33(5):298-302. View

18.

Berkman L, Blumenthal J, Burg M, Carney R, Catellier D, Cowan M . Effects of treating depression and low perceived social support on clinical events after myocardial infarction: the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease Patients (ENRICHD) Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2003; 289(23):3106-16. DOI: 10.1001/jama.289.23.3106. View

19.

Wester H, Willoch F, Tolle T, Munz F, Herz M, Oye I . 6-O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-6-O-desmethyldiprenorphine ([18F]DPN): synthesis, biologic evaluation, and comparison with [11C]DPN in humans. J Nucl Med. 2000; 41(7):1279-86. View

20.

Navines R, Martin-Santos R, Gomez-Gil E, Martinez de Osaba M, Gasto C . Interaction between serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and beta-endorphins modulates antidepressant response. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2008; 32(8):1804-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2008.07.021. View