Exercise Outperforms Standard Care for Depression and Anxiety
A meta-meta-analysis was performed on randomized controlled trials examining exercise interventions for depression and anxiety symptoms in 79,551 participants. All population groups, including children and adults aged 10-90 with clinically diagnosed and subclinical symptoms, were included. Populations with chronic physiological conditions were excluded to better isolate the effects of exercise, allowing researchers to determine whether exercise alone improves mental health independently.