Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2026; 16(7): 118479
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118479
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118479
Effectiveness of aerobic exercise in psychiatric disorders: Naturopathy has its say
Mohammad M Khan, Department of Biotechnology, Era’s Lucknow Medical College & Hospital, and Faculty of Science, Era University, Lucknow 226003, Uttar Pradesh, India
Gauri Pandey, Tabrez Jafar, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Era University, Lucknow 226003, Uttar Pradesh, India
Author contributions: Khan MM wrote the draft; Khan MM, Pandey G and Jafar T reviewed the draft and helped with the figure and references.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Author declares no conflict of interest.
Corresponding author: Mohammad M Khan, PhD, Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Era’s Lucknow Medical College & Hospital, and Faculty of Science, Era University, Hardoi Road, Sarfarazganj, Lucknow 226003, Uttar Pradesh, India. mushahid.khan@erauniversity.in
Received: January 4, 2026
Revised: February 20, 2026
Accepted: April 7, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 174 Days and 6.1 Hours
Revised: February 20, 2026
Accepted: April 7, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 174 Days and 6.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Aerobic exercise has been shown to improve various domains of cognition, including processing speed, working memory, verbal/visual learning, and executive function. In addition, it has also been shown to effectively reduce psychiatric symptoms, social cognition, and disability in patients with psychiatric disorders (PD). These convincing outcomes of aerobic exercise could be due to its potential regulatory effect on glucose metabolism and improved mitochondrial function, reduced oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, aerobic exercise could be integrated as an essential step in the management of PD.