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High levels of physical activity protect against anxiety-related disorders
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Higher levels of self-reported physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing anxiety and anxiety disorders, according to study findings published in Depression and Anxiety.
“We have found, using data from different countries and age groups, that engaging in physical activity is beneficial for protecting the general population from developing anxiety, and anxiety disorders including agoraphobia and post-traumatic stress disorders,” Felipe B. Schuch, PhD, professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil, said in a press release.
Researchers searched databases, including PubMed, Embase and Web of Science, to identify prospective studies that measured the odds ratio of incident anxiety in individuals with high levels of physical activity against those with low physical activity.
The overall database search yielded results across 14 cohorts of 13 prospective studies followed for 357,424 person-years. The studies included 75,831 participants (50.1% men).
Evidence showed that people with high self-reported physical activity had lower odds of developing anxiety compared with those with low physical activity (adjusted OR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.62-0.88). Schuch and colleagues also performed subgroup analyses and found that high levels of physical activity were protective against the emergence of agoraphobia (aOR = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.18-0.98) and PTSD (aOR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.39-0.85). The protective effects of self-reported physical activity were apparent throughout Asia and Europe, in children/adolescents and adults regardless of demographic factors.
“Given the established health benefits of physical activity more broadly, our data add further evidence to the growing calls for the necessity to promote physical activity at the populationlevel,” Schuch and colleagues wrote. “Increasing physical activity should be considered a priority on preventing mental and physical chronic conditions and reducing overall mortality.” – by Alexandria Brooks
Disclosures: Schuch reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all the other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.