Exercise can reduce depression in many people and may even help prevent it in the first place, two recent reviews have confirmed.
An analysis by the independent Cochrane Collaboration, based on 35 studies, concluded that exercise is moderately effective for reducing depressive symptoms, often as useful as medication or psychological therapy. It may help in many ways, notably by affecting neurotransmitters that influence mood, by providing a sense of control and accomplishment, and by serving as a distraction from anxieties.
The second review, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, included 25 studies and found that people who exercise regularly, even at low levels (such as walking or gardening), are less likely to subsequently develop depression.
