Beacon of hope shines for millions battling depression, In one of the most groundbreaking studies on exercise against this pervasive mental health challenge, it seems to be emerging as a formidable ally.

In an analysis of 218 studies including some 14,000 people, researchers found that different physical activities—ranging from housework to walking, jogging, yoga, or lifting weights—resulted in a reduction of symptoms of depression compared to no or very light physical activity. It is, hence, an indicator toward the direction of new treatment paradigms.

Michael Noetel, lead author and senior lecturer in psychology at The University of Queensland, said, “As a clinician and psychologist, I was rarely prescribing exercise to assist with people’s depression. We wanted to look at all the evidence to find out what works best.” It seems that if we are talking about walking or jogging, yoga, or strength training, it seems to have the most positive impact.

Thus, the proportional relationship between the intensity of exercise and reduction in symptoms will be a critical cornerstone indicating that the more vigorous kinds of activity could have an enhanced therapeutic benefit. Jonathan Roiser, a professor of neuroscience and mental health at University College London, who wasn’t involved in the study, said the findings re-emphasized the benefits of physical activity in reducing symptoms of depression—especially aerobic exercise—but warned of overhyping the effects of relatively under-researched activities like dancing.

It further explores the acceptability of some of the exercise modalities and finds out that a great percentage of the people accept strength training and yoga as exercise modalities, thus making them effective and highly tolerable in the respective group, therefore pointing to high rates of adherence among depressed individuals. This is an important dimension for clinical practice since it proposes exercise as a feasible and attractive treatment strategy.

But the authors say the horizon, however hopeful, still needs to be taken with caution, low to very low confidence that the evidence is giving them, mostly because of potential biases in the studies included. Many lacked participant and personnel blinding, which could skew results. Addressing these limitations in future research is vital to solidifying the role of exercise in depression treatment.

Noetel said he and his colleagues hope that in the future, exercise will be prescribed more often to people with depression and that recommendations for physical activity could be more specific than currently. “We want people to have more options for overcoming depression,” Noetel said. “It empowers people and improves physical health, too.”

All these place exercise in the mental health area as part of an inclusive treatment, combined with the treatments of physical activity and traditional therapies, to provide optimum benefit. As the tide of depression rises ever higher throughout the world and more people face its challenge, exercise holds great promise as a “beacon of hope,” lighting the path for individuals to take steps—literally one stride at a time—into the light of wellness