How Much Exercise Do Chronic Illness Patients Need for Depression Relief?
How much exercise reduces depression in chronic illness?
Aerobic exercise significantly reduces depression in patients with chronic illness, with about 135 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week (roughly 45 minutes, 3 times per week) providing clinically meaningful improvements - though even smaller amounts help through a dose-response relationship. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 randomized controlled trials with 2,500 patients published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that patients don’t need to meet the full WHO recommendation to see benefits, making exercise more achievable for those with limited physical capacity.