Studies // Cited work

Effect of exercise for depression: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., van den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spathis, J., Moresi, M., Pagano, R., Pagano, L., Vasconcellos, R., Arnott, H., Varley, B., Parker, P., Biddle, S., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Level A Meta-analysis doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-075847

What this study supports

Supports the claim that walking or jogging, yoga and strength training were associated with moderate reductions in depression compared with active controls, with effects proportional to prescribed intensity. Only one study met criteria for low risk of bias, and confidence in the estimates was rated low to very low.

Who was studied: 218 randomised trials (14,170 participants) meeting clinical cut-offs for major depression.
Design: Meta-analysis
Level of evidence: Syntheses of controlled studies: meta-analyses and systematic reviews of experiments and trials.

Claims that rest on it

Each claim states what the site asserts, at what strength, and with what caveat.

EmpiricalLevel AConfidence MODERATE

Randomised trials pooled in several meta-analyses associate regular physical activity with reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms, in non-clinical adults and in people with depression, although the certainty of specific effect estimates is often low.

Scope: Structured physical activity interventions over weeks, compared with control conditions or usual care.
Caveat: Overlapping studies, unblinded participants, frequent risk of bias and low-quality reviews limit certainty; effect sizes differ widely between syntheses.

Last reviewed 2026-09-14 · Review due 2027-09-14 · regular-activity-reduces-depression-anxiety

Sources

Rebar, A. L., Stanton, R., Geard, D., Short, C., Duncan, M. J., & Vandelanotte, C. (2015). A meta-meta-analysis of the effect of physical activity on depression and anxiety in non-clinical adult populations. doi:10.1080/17437199.2015.1022901

Level A Meta-analysis

Supports the claim that physical activity reduced depression by a medium effect (SMD = -0.50) and anxiety by a small effect (SMD = -0.38) in non-clinical adults. Aggregates meta-analyses, so overlap between included studies is possible.
Schuch, F. B., Vancampfort, D., Richards, J., Rosenbaum, S., Ward, P. B., & Stubbs, B. (2016). Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis adjusting for publication bias. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.02.023

Level A Meta-analysis

Supports the claim that exercise had a large effect on depressive symptoms compared with control conditions, with larger effects for aerobic, moderate-to-vigorous and supervised exercise. A clinical population; not evidence about everyday mood regulation in healthy adults.
Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., van den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spathis, J., Moresi, M., Pagano, R., Pagano, L., Vasconcellos, R., Arnott, H., Varley, B., Parker, P., Biddle, S., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-075847

Level A Meta-analysis

Supports the claim that walking or jogging, yoga and strength training were associated with moderate reductions in depression compared with active controls, with effects proportional to prescribed intensity. Only one study met criteria for low risk of bias, and confidence in the estimates was rated low to very low.
Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., Szeto, K., O'Connor, E., Ferguson, T., Eglitis, E., Miatke, A., Simpson, C. E. M., & Maher, C. (2023). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: An overview of systematic reviews. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2022-106195

Level A Systematic review

Supports the claim that physical activity had medium effects on depression, anxiety and psychological distress compared with usual care across populations, with higher intensity associated with greater improvement. Most included reviews had critically low quality ratings.