Exercise and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: A Systematic Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

Depressive symptoms are common in older adults, but antidepressant medications may be contraindicated or poorly tolerated in this population. Intervention studies demonstrate that exercise may be an effective alternative. This meta-analysis included 41 randomized controlled trials of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise interventions investigating the effect of exercise on depressive symptoms in adults aged 60 or older. A random effects model demonstrated that exercise was associated with significantly lower depression severity (SMD = 0.57, 95% CI 0.36-0.78). This effect was not significantly different for different ages of participants, types of control groups, or types of exercise interventions. Studies requiring a diagnosis of depression had significantly greater mean effect sizes than studies that did not require a depression diagnosis (Qbet = 6.843, df = 1, p = .009). These findings suggest that exercise is an effective treatment option for older individuals with depressive symptoms.

Self-care behavior change and depression among low-income predominantly Hispanic patients in safety-net clinics

“…Exercise had fairly robust effect sizes for risk of depression in prospective studies, and this finding is consistent with previous studies that demonstrated a significant decline in depressive symptoms after participants received interventions offering exercise support (Arent et al, 2000; Rhyner & Watts, 2016). This benefit of improving exercise might occur via different mechanisms, such as reducing the risk of experiencing diabetes complications (Lin et al, 2010), improving the immune system (Swift et al, 2012) and significant physiological metrics (e.g., A1C, or glycated hemoglobin; Macdonald, Philp, Harrison, Bone, & Watt, 2006; P. T. Williams, 2008), or even through neurotransmitters believed to be shared between exercise and depressive symptoms (Rethorst, Landers, Nagoshi, & Ross, 2010).…”

Promotion of physical activity interventions for community dwelling older adults: A systematic review of reviews

“…There is now a robust empirical evidence that engagement in PA can improve mental wellbeing of older adults [6,7,57,58] and indeed reduce symptoms [59] and prevent recurrence of depression [60]. In our review interventions generally seemed to lead to improved self-efficacy but there was less consistency in their impact on the quality of life and mood-related outcomes.…”

Handgrip Strength in Old and Very Old Adults: Mood, Cognition, Function, and Mortality

“…It is plausible that low HGS may serve as proxy for low exercise levels. A recent metaanalysis of 41 randomized controlled trials confirmed the effectiveness of exercise as a treatment option for depression, irrespective of age . Similarly, the implementation of exercise programs for older people has recently been shown to have a positive influence not only on mood, but also on global cognitive function and frailty status .…”