Effect of Exercise and Meditation on Depression and Anxiety Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: Despite the existence of studies that associated effect of exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety, there was no meta-analysis to date, that can prove this effect definitely. Also, the effect of these factors by gender and aerobic exercise are unknown. This gap was addressed by this meta-analysis. Methods: Major electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched until July 2019. Studies addressing the effect of exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety were enrolled. The heterogeneity across studies was investigated by Q-test and I2 statistic. The probability of publication bias was explored using Beggchr('39')s and Eggerchr('39')s tests. The results were expressed as the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. Results: We identified a total of 10,015 references and included 51 studies involving 3,594 participants. Compared control group, the SMD estimate of anxiety was -0.7 (-1.20, -0.19) for meditation, -0.9 (-1.24, -0.57) for aerobic, -1.07 (-1.67, -0.46) for other exercise, and the SMD estimate of depression was-0.84 (-1.26, -0.42) for meditation, -0.44 (-0.72, -0.17) for aerobic, and -1.10 (-1.55, -0.65) for other exercise. Conclusions: Exercise and meditation had a significant effect on depression and anxiety. Furthermore, there was an effect of the exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety by female gender and aerobic exercise.