Effects of Exercise during Pregnancy on Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses

Comparative impact of exercise-based interventions for postpartum depression: A Bayesian network meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The current study aimed to address and rank which exercise-based interventions are preferable to standard care/no therapy or another exercise intervention for postpartum depression (PPD) management and provide estimates for future definitive evidence.

METHODS

The authors systematically searched PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, PsycInfo, and ClinicalTrails.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on exercise-based interventions for PPD from their inception to May 9, 2023. Included were RCTs of exercise-based interventions for PPD with at least 4 weeks' duration. The pooled effects of intervention comparisons were generated by the Bayesian random-effects model, and the quality of evidence was evaluated by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations framework.

RESULTS

Twelve RCTs (1260 women; mean age, 20-35 years) comparing exercise-based interventions with usual care/no therapy were included. Exercise effectively treats depressive symptoms (standard mean difference [SMD], -0.81 [95% confidence interval (CI), -1.20 to -0.42], P < 0.001). Pram walking was significantly associated with a reduction of depressive symptoms during the postpartum period (SMD, -1.00 [95% CI, -2.60 to -0.10], P = 0.020), as well as yoga (SMD, -0.73 [95% CI, -1.84 to -0.43], P < 0.001) and supervised mixed exercise (SMD, -0.77 [95% CI, -1.67 to -0.01], P = 0.041) compared with usual care/no therapy. In indirect comparisons, pram walking (surface under the cumulative ranking curve, 58.9%) was better than yoga (SMD, -0.28 [95% CI, -1.86 to 1.22], P = 0.322) and supervised mixed exercise (SMD, -0.23 [95% CI, -1.59 to 1.12], P = 0.358). However, the difference was not statistically significant. The confidence in evidence was very low to moderate.

CONCLUSION

In women with PPD, all commonly prescribed physical exercises were effective alternative or complementary treatments. However, pram walking may perform better in improving the symptoms of PPD.

Mitochondrial might: powering the peripartum for risk and resilience

The peripartum period, characterized by dynamic hormonal shifts and physiological adaptations, has been recognized as a potentially vulnerable period for the development of mood disorders such as postpartum depression (PPD). Stress is a well-established risk factor for developing PPD and is known to modulate mitochondrial function. While primarily known for their role in energy production, mitochondria also influence processes such as stress regulation, steroid hormone synthesis, glucocorticoid response, GABA metabolism, and immune modulation - all of which are crucial for healthy pregnancy and relevant to PPD pathology. While mitochondrial function has been implicated in other psychiatric illnesses, its role in peripartum stress and mental health remains largely unexplored, especially in relation to the brain. In this review, we first provide an overview of mitochondrial involvement in processes implicated in peripartum mood disorders, underscoring their potential role in mediating pathology. We then discuss clinical and preclinical studies of mitochondria in the context of peripartum stress and mental health, emphasizing the need for better understanding of this relationship. Finally, we propose mitochondria as biological mediators of resilience to peripartum mood disorders.

Yoga-based interventions may reduce anxiety symptoms in anxiety disorders and depression symptoms in depressive disorders: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression

OBJECTIVE

To summarise the effect of mind-body exercises on anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with anxiety or depressive disorders.

DESIGN

Systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression.

DATA SOURCES

Five electronic databases were searched from inception to July 2022. Manual searches were conducted to explore clinical trial protocols, secondary analyses of clinical trials and related systematic reviews.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Randomised clinical trials evaluating qigong, tai chi or yoga styles with anxiety or depression symptoms as the outcomes were included. No intervention, waitlist or active controls were considered as control groups. The risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence were assessed. Meta-analyses, meta-regressions and sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

23 studies, comprising 22 different samples (n=1420), were included. Overall, meta-analyses showed yoga interventions were superior to controls in reducing anxiety symptoms in anxiety disorders. Furthermore, yoga-based interventions decreased depression symptoms in depressive disorders after conducting sensitivity analyses. No differences between groups were found in the rest of the comparisons. However, the certainty of the evidence was judged as very low for all outcomes due to concerns of high risk of bias, indirectness of the evidence, inconsistency and imprecision of the results. In addition, there was marked heterogeneity among yoga-based interventions and self-reported tools used to evaluate the outcomes of interest.

CONCLUSION

Although yoga-based interventions may help to improve mental health in adults diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders, methodological improvements are needed to advance the quality of clinical trials in this field.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022347673.

Association of Physical Activity with the Prevention and Treatment of Depression During the Postpartum Period: A Narrative Review

The benefits of physical activity during pregnancy or postpartum are auspicious, especially in preventing and treating postpartum depression. This review aimed to examine the relationship between exercise and postpartum depression in terms of prevention and treatment. The goals were to determine if exercise alone is sufficient for this purpose and to attract attention to the kind, intensity, and duration needed to achieve this purpose. A literature review was conducted in PubMed, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, and Cochrane libraries. The search terms were "physical activity," "postpartum depression," "postnatal depression," and "exercise." Physical activity can be a preventative measure and a treatment aid for pregnant or postpartum women with depressive disorders. However, the exercise protocol should include a support/wellness program to achieve better and more remarkable results.

Nutritional factors and cross-national postpartum depression prevalence: an updated meta-analysis and meta-regression of 412 studies from 46 countries

Background

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication associated with childbirth and can lead to adverse outcomes for both mothers and their children. A previous meta-analysis found that PPD prevalence varies widely across countries. One potential underexplored contributor to this cross-national variation in PPD is diet, which contributes to mental health and varies significantly around the world. Here, we sought to update the global and national estimates of PPD prevalence using systematic review and meta-analysis. Further, we examined whether cross-national variation in PPD prevalence is associated with cross-national variation in diet using meta-regression.

Methods

To estimate national rates of PPD prevalence, we conducted an updated systematic review of all papers reporting PPD prevalence using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale between 2016-2021 and combined our findings with a previous meta-analysis of articles published between 1985-2015. PPD prevalence and methods were extracted from each study. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate global and national PPD prevalence. To examine dietary predictors, we extracted data on sugar-sweetened beverage, fruit, vegetable, total fiber, yogurt, and seafood consumption from the Global Dietary Database. Random effects meta-regression was used to test whether between-country and within-country variation in dietary factors predicted variation in PPD prevalence, controlling for economic and methodological variables.

Results

412 studies of 792,055 women from 46 countries were identified. The global pooled prevalence of PPD was 19.18% (95% confidence interval: 18.02 to 20.34%), ranging from 3% in Singapore to 44% in South Africa. Countries that consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) had higher rates of PPD (Coef. = 0.325, p = 0.044, CI:0.010-0.680); Moreover, in years when higher rates of sugar-sweetened beverages were consumed in a country, there were correspondingly higher rates of PPD in that country (Coef. = 0.129, p = 0.026, CI: 0.016-0.242).

Conclusion

The global prevalence of PPD is greater than previous calculations, and drastically varies by country. Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption explained some of the national variation in PPD prevalence.

Exercise, Mediterranean Diet Adherence or Both during Pregnancy to Prevent Postpartum Depression-GESTAFIT Trial Secondary Analyses

Targeting lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy is crucial to prevent the highly prevalent postpartum depression and its consequences. In these secondary analyses of an intervention trial to investigate the effects of concurrent exercise training on postpartum depression, we aimed to investigate the potential role of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence on the exercise effects. A total of 85 pregnant women met the per-protocol criteria (exercise n = 46, control n = 39). The exercise program was delivered in 60 min sessions, 3 days/week, from the 17th gestational week until birth. Women's dietary habits were assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. The Mediterranean Food Pattern (an MD index) was derived from it to assess MD adherence. We used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to assess postpartum depression. The postpartum depression score was not statistically different between control and exercise groups (p > 0.05). A higher consumption of fruits (β = -0.242, p = 0.022), lower intake of red meat and subproducts (β = 0.244, p = 0.020), and a greater MD adherence (β = -0.236, p = 0.027) were associated with lower levels of postpartum depression. Greater adherence to the MD during pregnancy was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and a lower risk of postpartum depression. Postnatal depression was not reduced by prenatal exercise. Promoting fruit consumption while controlling the intake of red meat during pregnancy might prevent postnatal depression.

Biological Mechanisms Underlying Physical Fitness and Sports Performance: An Editorial

In general, the concept of a mechanism in biology has three distinct meanings [...].