title: Exercise as Treatment for Anxiety: Systematic Review and Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, but few studies have studied exercise in individuals preselected because of their high anxiety.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to review and critically evaluate studies of exercise training in adults with either high levels of anxiety or an anxiety disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in which anxious adults were randomized to an exercise or nonexercise control condition. Data were extracted concerning anxiety outcomes and study design. Existing meta-analyses were also reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evidence from 12 RCTs suggested benefits of exercise, for select groups, similar to established treatments and greater than placebo. However, most studies had significant methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, concurrent therapies, and inadequate assessment of adherence and fitness levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exercise may be a useful treatment for anxiety, but lack of data from rigorous, methodologically sound RCTs precludes any definitive conclusions about its effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3119, Durham, NC, 27710, USA, gregory.stonerock@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Gregory L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Stonerock
authors.forename: Benson M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans