Most people know that exercise is beneficial for our muscles, bones, and heart, but lesser known is the positive impact it can have on many other aspects of our health. A growing body of research is demonstrating that exercise is also beneficial for our mental health, our immune system as well as our cognition (brain function). In this article, we will explore some of the recent scientific research that has studied the effect of exercise on these different areas of our health.
Mental Health
In 2024, the British Medical Journal published a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effects of exercise on depression. 218 studies with a total of 14,170 participants were included. In comparison to the control groups, it found that a moderate reduction in depression was measured with walking, jogging, strength training, yoga, mixed aerobic exercise and tai chi or qi gong, with higher intensity levels being the most impactful.
Another study of note was published in the journal Aging and Mental Health in 2022, titled “Resistance Training reduces depressive and anxiety symptoms in older women: a pilot study.” In this study, 41 females aged 68 and over were split into a training group and a control group. The training group performed supervised resistance training exercise three days a week for twelve weeks while the control received no intervention during this same time period. One of the measurements used in this study was the Geriatric Depression Scale which is a self-report measure of depression in older adults. Participants filled this form out before and after the twelve week period, with the training group demonstrating a measurable reduction in depression whereas the control group measured no change.
The reason why exercise can help improve your mental health is not fully clear, but there are a few reasons we know of that may help explain this. Exercise releases endorphins which are chemicals in your brain that foster a sense of wellbeing. It can also help you focus on something other than your worries, which can interrupt the cycle of negative thoughts that may lead to anxiety and depression. Exercise is often done with a group of people and can provide a social benefit. On the flip side, exercising by yourself can be an opportunity for self-care and time to yourself amidst a busy day.
Immune System
Exercise has been shown to increase our white blood cell count, which is a type of cell in our bodies that helps protect us against cancer, bacteria and viruses. While this relationship has been scientifically studied for more than thirty years now, a recent study of note was published in 2024 by the University of Turku in Finland in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. In this study, researchers took blood samples from twenty breast cancer patients before, during and after pedaling on a bicycle for 30 minutes and found that the number of cytoxic T cells and natural killer cells increased the most during and after pedaling, which are the most important types of white blood cells for destroying cancer.
Exercise not only boosts the creation of healthy cells, but it also helps increase the circulation of these helpful cells all throughout our body, enabling them to be more affective in their work and more likely to find and fight disease.
It is important to note that the type of exercise performed and how you recover may have a positive or negative impact on the immune system. A systematic review published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2020 compared the effects of moderate and high intensity exercise on inflammatory mediators in the body. It found that if high intensity exercises is regularly performed without periods of rest or recovery, this can lead to higher levels of inflammation, while moderate exercise and vigorous exercise with appropriate rests had the most beneficial impact on inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been associated with a number of conditions including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and neurodegenerative conditions.
Cognition
Exercise has also been shown to improve the function of our brains in many capacities including boosting our memory and enhancing our ability to focus.
A recent relevant article on this topic was published in the journal Ageing Research Reviews in 2023 and titled “Effects of exercise Interventions on cognitive functions in healthy populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. The authors reviewed 54 studies with 6,277 participants in their meta-analysis and found that a regular exercise routine had a measurable positive impact on overall cognitive function, with aerobic and resistance exercises having the greatest benefit on global cognitive function and executive function. Global cognitive function is a measure of a person’s overall cognitive ability and is calculated by combining scores from a series of tests that evaluate different areas of the brain. Executive function is the brain’s ability to plan, organize, focus our attention, make decisions and control and inhibit our emotions. Another key finding of this study was that the greatest positive impact of exercise on cognition was found in adults age 60 and over.
Another recent study of note was published in 2023 in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy and titled “The effect of a moderate physical activity intervention on physical fitness and cognition in healthy elderly with low levels of physical activity: a RCT”. 102 participants aged 55 and older were split into an exercising counseling group aimed at encouraging increasing step counts per day and a control group that did not attempt to increase their physical activity. The study was performed over a nine-month period and results showed that those who increased their physical activity by 35% or more were shown to measure a significant improvement in aerobic capacity, gait speed, verbal memory, executive functioning, and global cognition, compared to those who did not achieve a 35% increase. This type of research is helping shape the way doctors and scientists are trying to conservatively prevent and manage dementia.
In Summary
The above is just a small sample of recent research on this topic. If you would like to learn more about the many ways exercise benefits your health, there are many more scientific articles out there to explore. If you are interested in diving deeper into the studies discussed above, references for these articles are listed below.
The next time you find yourself engaging in exercise, whether it be going for a walk in nature, lifting weights at the gym or playing a game of soccer with friends, perhaps take a moment and reflect on the health boost you are giving your body – in more ways than one. If you need assistance or have any questions, please reach out to us at Dee PT to help you feel good again!
Written By: Laurel Lakey, PTA
Laurel Lakey has been a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant for over a decade and has been with Dee since 2015. She resides in Charlotte with her husband, four year old daughter, dog and chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys doing artwork and playing imaginary games with her daughter, finding new recipes to cook and exploring the outdoors. She can be contacted by emailing her at [email protected]
Article References:
- Mchael Noetel, Daniel Gallardo-Gomez, Paul Taylor, Daniel Van Den Hoek, Jordan Smith, John Mahoney. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials British Medical Journal 2024; 384
- Paolo Cunha, Andre O Werneck, Joao Pedro Nunes, Brendon Stubbs, Felipe Such, Gabriel Kunevaliki, Liye Zou Edilson, S Cyro. Resistance training reduces depressive and anxiety symptoms in older women: a pilot study. Aging and Mental Health 2022 (6) 1136-1142
- Tiia Koivula, Salla Lempiäinen, Joona Neuvonen, Jooa Norha, Maija Hollmén, Carl Johan Sundberg, Helene Rundqvist, Heikki Minn, Petteri Rinne, Ilkka Heinonen. The effect of exercise and disease status on mobilization of anti-tumorigenic and pro-tumorigenic immune cells in women with breast cancer. Frontiers in Immunology, 2024; 15 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1394420
- Erica Cerqueira, Daniel Marinho, Henrique Neiva, Olga Lourenco. Inflammatory Effects of High and Moderate Intensity Exercise: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Physiology 2020 (10) 1550
- Minggang Zang, Jiafeng Jia, Yang Yang, Lepu Zhang, Xiaochun Wang. Effects of exercise Interventions on cognitive functions in healthy populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews 2023 102116
- Sarah Galle, Jan Berend Deijen, Maartin Milders, Matthieu De Greef, Erik Scherder, Cornelia Duijn, Madeleine Drent. The effects of a moderate physical activity intervention on physical fitness and cognition in healthy elderly with low levels of physical activity: a randomized controlled trial Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy 2023 12