The impact of Pilates exercise for depression symptoms in female patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The effects of aerobic exercise for depression: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to determine whether aerobic exercise is beneficial in treating depression in adults in general.

METHODS

Review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to RCTs. PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane databases of systematic reviews were searched extensively between September 2009 and September 2023. An extensive search was conducted using MeSH terms, including ''depression'', ''depressive disorder'', ''depressive symptoms'', ''exercise'', ''aerobic exercise'', ''aerobic training'', ''walking'', ''running'', ''jogging'', ''bicycling'', ''physical activity'', ''adult (limiters 18-65 years)'', ''meta-analyses'' and ''systematic reviews''.

RESULT

In the initial search of the titles and abstracts of reviews, 2345 articles were found. 46 full-text reviews were selected for carefully scrutinized. A total of seven reviews were included in the analysis, and two of them were meta-analyses, which included 42 RCTs. The results of four reviews evaluated the effectiveness of aerobic exercise on depression. Moreover, two reviews examined the efficacy of aerobic exercise as an add-on intervention for depression treatment, one of which was a subgroup analysis. According to two reviews, aerobic exercise improved CRF in people with depression and affected people with MDD from a neurobiological standpoint.

CONCLUSION

This umbrella review systematically evaluated the efficacy of aerobic exercise in treating adult depression, revealing substantial evidence that supports its potential to alleviate depressive symptoms. The positive synthesis of findings advocates for integrating aerobic exercise as a non-pharmacological treatment option. Nevertheless, additional research is essential to confirm these benefits and optimize exercise protocols for depression management.

Is Pilates effective in improving depressive disorders? A comprehensive overview

Depressive disorders are disabling conditions that account for high social costs. Pilates demonstrated to have several beneficial effects on health. Objective of this manuscript was to systematically review the literature about the effects of Pilates on depressive disorders. A bibliographic search was conducted in the main database sources (Pubmed, Medline, and Scopus). The inclusion criteria consisted of articles written in English language about the effectiveness of Pilates on depressive symptoms. Most of included studies are randomized controlled trials (10 out of 12). The available literature agrees in indicating that Pilates is effective in improving depressive symptoms especially when compared to inactivity and when this practice is administered for a medium-long period (8-16 weeks). In addition, Pilates seems to have at least comparable effectiveness than aerobic exercise. Pilates can be considered a reliable complementary treatment for people with depressive disorders. These findings should be interpreted considering the different types of practice administered as well as the different duration of the programs or rating scales used to assess mood symptoms. Studies with a more homogenous design are needed to confirm and make generalizable the results presented in this review.