Exercise may improve quality of life and low mood in long-term brain disorders
HelpedThe short version
In 21 trials, exercise did a bit more for attention and working memory than usual care did.
- 21
- studies pooled
- 1,313
- people with long-term brain disorders
The review
Who took part
7,231 people had one of six long-term brain disorders, including Parkinson's and depression. Average ages were about 52 to 71, and ages ran from about 15 to 84.
What they did
People in these studies got exercise on top of usual treatment. The comparison group got usual treatment alone. Most of the exercise was supervised, and programmes lasted from under 2 weeks to 2 years.
What happened
On average, exercise improved quality of life by a medium amount and low mood by a large amount. It improved attention and working memory by a small amount. Without outliers, small studies and high-risk studies, the effects were smaller, and some weak studies seem to be missing.
What the review found
- Helped
In 21 trials, exercise did a bit more for attention and working memory than usual care did.
Pooled analysis of 21 studies with 1,313 people · vs people on usual care · ⚠ signs that small negative studies went unpublished
How solid is this?
- Large group
- Numbers unreliable
- Summary claims more than the results show
- Signs that small negative studies went unpublished
Source
Physical exercise improves quality of life, depressive symptoms, and cognition across chronic brain disorders: a transdiagnostic systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2019)
DOI: 10.1007/s00415-019-09493-9 (opens in a new tab)
