Numerous studies have investigated the effects of exercise on post-stroke depression (PSD), yet the findings remain inconclusive. This study aims to evaluate the impact of exercise on depressive symptoms in stroke patients and to identify the most effective exercise protocols for this population. A systematic review of the Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was conducted, with a search cutoff date of 13 September 2024. Quantitative synthesis was employed to assess the intervention effects, with effect sizes expressed as standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals to evaluate the efficacy of exercise in alleviating PSD. A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated that exercise significantly alleviated depressive symptoms in stroke patients (SMD = −0.18; p = 0.007). Specifically, multicomponent training emerged as the most effective intervention for reducing depression (SMD = −0.24; p = 0.008). Additionally, exercise programs with a duration of ≥12 weeks (SMD, −0.17; p = 0.04), ≥3 sessions per week (SMD, −0.20; p = 0.02), <60 min per session (SMD, −0.19; p = 0.05), and <180 min per week (SMD, −0.27; p = 0.02) were found to be the most effective in alleviating PSD. Exercise represents an effective strategy for managing PSD, with multicomponent training potentially serving as the optimal intervention. These findings provide evidence for clinicians, recommending that stroke patients engage in exercise at least three times weekly, with individual sessions not exceeding 60 min. By increasing the frequency of exercise, the cumulative weekly time should ideally remain below 180 min for optimal outcomes.

This study aims to investigate the effects of exercise on depression and anxiety in lung cancer survivors and identify the optimal exercise prescription for this population. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, CNKI, and Wanfang Data up to 7 January 2024. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval. Thirteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. Exercise significantly alleviated depression (SMD, −0.54; p = 0.002) and anxiety (SMD, −0.66; p = 0.0002) in lung cancer survivors. Subgroup analyses showed that aerobic exercise, exercise conducted >3 times per week, <60 min per session, and ≥180 min per week, were more effective in alleviating depression and anxiety, particularly in middle-aged individuals. In conclusion, exercise alleviates depression and anxiety in lung cancer survivors, particularly those who are middle-aged, and aerobic exercise may be the most effective intervention. This meta-analysis provides clinicians with evidence to recommend that lung cancer survivors engage in exercise more than three times per week, with each session lasting less than 60 min, aiming to achieve a total of 180 min per week by increasing the frequency of exercise.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise on anxiety and depression in individuals with type 2 diabetics mellitus (T2DM) and to determine the optimal exercise prescription for this population. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases was conducted through 13 May 2025. Pooled analyses were performed using standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval. Exercise significantly alleviated anxiety (SMD, −0.66, p < 0.00001) and depression (SMD, −0.55, p < 0.0001) in individuals with T2DM. Subgroup analyses revealed that aerobic exercise (anxiety, SMD, −0.68, p < 0.00001; depression, SMD, −0.63, p = 0.005) and interventions performed ≥3 times per week (anxiety, SMD, −0.72, p < 0.00001; depression, SMD, −0.72, p < 0.00001), lasting < 60 min per session (anxiety, SMD, −0.78, p < 0.00001; depression, SMD, −0.67, p < 0.00001), and accumulating ≤ 180 min per week (anxiety, SMD, −0.60, p < 0.00001; depression, SMD, −0.60, p = 0.0008) were most effective in alleviating anxiety and depression. While the findings of this meta-analysis suggest that engaging in exercise at a frequency of at least 3 times per week, with each session lasting less than 60 min (accumulating to approximately 180 min per week), may be associated with greater psychological improvements, these recommendations should be interpreted cautiously due to variability in study quality, intervention types, and sample characteristics.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise on vascular flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in patients with heart failure (HF) and to identify the optimal exercise model for this population. A comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases, including data published up to 18 August 2025. A meta-analysis was conducted to calculate standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 224 participants in the intervention groups and 185 participants in the control groups. The results demonstrated that exercise significantly improved FMD (SMD = 1.14, p < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis showed that aerobic exercise (SMD = 1.25, p < 0.0001), intervention period ≤ 8 weeks (SMD = 2.19, p < 0.00001) Intervention frequency > 3 times per week (SMD = 2.82, p < 0.00001) and each intervention duration < 60 min (SMD = 1.22, p = 0.01) were the most effective in improving FMD in patients with HF. This meta-analysis indicates that aerobic exercise performed more than three times per week, for sessions under 60 min and over an intervention period of up to 8 weeks, is associated with meaningful improvements in FMD in HF patients. These findings offer clear and actionable guidance for clinicians when prescribing exercise to support vascular health in this population.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise on cognitive function in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and to identify the optimal exercise prescription. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, and Scopus was conducted through 13 May 2025. The Cochrane risk assessment tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Results: Twenty studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, of which six were rated as high quality and eleven as moderate quality. A meta-analytic synthesis of 14 eligible studies demonstrated that exercise elicited a significant improvement of cognitive function in ID patients (Hedges’ g = 0.85, p < 0.001), with the greatest effect observed for cognitive speed (Hedges’ g = 0.93, p < 0.01). Subgroup analyses indicated that interventions lasting ≥12 weeks (Hedges’ g = 0.92, p < 0.001), performed <3 times per week (Hedges’ g = 1.22, p < 0.01), with sessions ≥60 min (Hedges’ g = 1.91, p < 0.01), and >180 min per week in total (Hedges’ g = 3.10, p < 0.01) yielded the most pronounced benefits. Adolescents with ID exhibited greater cognitive gains (Hedges’ g = 1.01, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Exercise significantly improved cognitive function in ID patients. Our findings suggested that ID patients may benefit from exercise sessions lasting at least 60 min, performed fewer than three times per week, and sustained for at least 12 weeks. Achieving an exercise target of more than 180 min per week may further enhance cognitive function. Moreover, younger ID patients may experience greater improvements in cognitive function. Future studies should focus on standardizing exercise protocols and cognitive assessment tools to ensure consistency and comparability of findings in this population.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of exercise on aerobic capacity in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to explore potential exercise-related characteristics associated with greater improvements in aerobic capacity. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were systematically retrieved from Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane Library, covering all records up to 13 May 2025. Studies were included if they were RCTs involving COPD patients and reported aerobic capacity outcomes. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and effect sizes were synthesized using weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Thirty-seven studies were included, involving 1124 participants in exercise groups and 1089 in control groups. Exercise significantly improved aerobic capacity (WMD, 49.82; 95% CI: 38.54 to 61.10; p < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses revealed that certain exercise characteristics, including mixed exercise (WMD, 53.70; 95% CI: 41.58 to 65.83; p < 0.00001), sessions ≥ 60 min (WMD, 51.15; 95% CI: 37.53 to 64.76; p < 0.00001), ≤3 times weekly (WMD, 62.09; 95% CI: 47.49 to 76.68; p < 0.00001), total weekly volume ≤ 180 min (WMD, 59.08; 95% CI: 41.52 to 76.64; p < 0.00001), and supervised training (WMD, 56.25; 95% CI: 36.64 to 75.86; p < 0.00001), may be associated with larger improvements in aerobic capacity. Conclusions: Exercise is effective in improving aerobic capacity in COPD patients. Observed differences across exercise characteristics should be considered as exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than definitive evidence of optimal exercise prescription. Future research should focus on investigating the long-term effects of exercise training on clinical outcomes (e.g., hospital readmissions, mortality) and exploring the efficacy of technology-assisted remote exercise programs to improve access to pulmonary rehabilitation services.