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April 1, 2026Annals of General PsychiatryOpen Access

Efficacy of aerobic exercise as a combination therapy for depression compared to standardized therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

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Authors

CZChengcheng ZhuKDKaren M. von DeneenHIHalijah Binti Ibrahim

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Overview

Systematic review evaluates aerobic exercise's effectiveness in enhancing standardized therapy outcomes for depression.

Key Points

  • The study aims to assess how aerobic exercise, as adjunct therapy, improves outcomes compared to standardized treatments alone in treating depression.
  • Systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing aerobic exercise with standardized therapy.
  • Analysis included 20 trials with a total of 914 participants.
  • Pooled standardized mean difference calculated using a random-effects model.
  • Aerobic exercise combined therapy demonstrated a significant moderate effect (SMD = -0.72).
  • Subgroup analysis showed older patients had a larger effect, though not statistically significant.
  • Aerobic exercise with pharmacotherapy yielded the largest effect (SMD = -0.97).

Cite This Study

Zhu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69cd79e15652765b073a6aaahttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-026-00650-9
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