Voluntary physical activity does not appear to reduce anxiety and depression, but exercise and mood may be associated through a common genetic factor, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
In the general population, regular exercise is associated with a reduction in anxious and depressive symptoms, according to background information in the article. Experiments involving specific clinical populations have suggested exercise causes this reduction in anxiety and depression. However, it is unclear whether this causal effect also occurs in the wider population or whether there is a third underlying factor influencing both physical activity and the ris[...]