Mind-body exercise lowered depression and anxiety scores compared with no intervention
A pooled analysis of randomized trials found lower symptom scores, while the subgroup results did not establish which exercise routine works best.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Participants assigned mind-body exercise had lower scores for depression and anxiety symptoms than those assigned no intervention. These findings concern symptom measures; the abstract does not report remission or comparisons with active treatments. Analyses of exercise type, session length and frequency explored differences between programs, but they do not establish an optimal routine.
This abstract-only summary lacks the evidence-certainty ratings and an overall range of study durations. Participant details are sparse, and comparison with an inactive group leaves effectiveness against other active approaches unanswered.
What researchers found
Depression symptoms: Hedges' g
Depression scores were lower with mind-body exercise than with no intervention. Standard deviations describe score variability; the overall range of trial durations was not reported.
What the symptom result means
The negative standardized estimate indicates lower depression symptom scores in the exercise groups. It is not a percentage change, and the abstract does not connect that difference to recovery or a particular questionnaire's score range.
Why subgroup rankings remain uncertain
Exercise type, session length, frequency and initial depression severity were linked to differences in depression effects. For anxiety, the subgroup tests did not find significant differences, despite the authors naming preferred program characteristics.
The original publication
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of mind-body exercise on depressed and anxious individuals.
Ye Z, Xu Z, Wang X
PeerJ · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41522512
- Record checked
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