Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42022412›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2026

Optimal doses of different exercise types for improving depressive symptoms in climacteric women: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Hongyu Wang, Shuang Li, Shicheng Cui, Yanqiong Wang, Ying Zhu, Rujia Zhou, Zihao Zhong, Xiaolin Zhang, Zixian Xiao, Qian Qin and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Hongyu Wang *College of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Shuang Li *College of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Shicheng Cui *Taylor's University, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia.
Yanqiong WangCollege of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Ying ZhuCollege of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Rujia ZhouSchool of Physical Education and Health, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, China.
Zihao ZhongSchool of Physical Education and Health, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, China.
Xiaolin ZhangCollege of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Zixian XiaoSchool of Physical Education and Health, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, China.
Qian QinCollege of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Jiacheng FengDepartment of Physical Education, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, China.
Pengfei WangDepartment of Sports and Leisure, Dongshin University, Naju-si, Republic of Korea.
Dong LiSchool of Physical Education and Health, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Depression in climacteric women-defined as females transitioning from perimenopause to postmenopause (perimenopause: declining ovarian function with fluctuating and decreasing estrogen levels; postmenopause: cessation of menstruation for ≥12 months with persistently low estrogen levels)-impairs quality of life and burdens families and healthcare systems. Exercise, a proven non-pharmacological intervention for menopausal depression, has been understudied for "optimal dosage across exercise types"-previous research either focused on activity-depression associations or ignored dosage when selecting exercise types. This systematic review and network meta-analysis addresses this gap by comparing optimal doses of four exercises (aerobic, multi-mode, stretching, and mind-body) to establish an evidence-based "exercise type-dose" hierarchy for clinical practice. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science (inception to September 2025) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on exercise for climacteric women's depression. Two researchers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed quality via Cochrane RoB2. Bayesian network meta-regression (MBNMA, R software) modeled dose-response relationships, and SUCRA ranked intervention efficacy to identify optimal doses. Results: Twenty-three RCTs were included. The most favorable ranges observed in available RCTs appear to be: aerobic exercise (600-1,100 MET-min/week, slight saturation); multi-mode exercise (1000-1,500 MET-min/week); stretching exercise (900-1,200 MET-min/week, U-shaped curve); mind-body exercise (1000-1,500 MET-min/week, limited data >1,500 MET-min/week). Three sessions/week and 12-week intervention aligned with these most favorable ranges. Conclusion: Aerobic (600-1,100 MET-min/week), multi-mode (1000-1,500 MET-min/week), and stretching (900-1,200 MET-min/week) exercises are most effective for alleviating climacteric depression. Clinicians should prioritize aerobic exercise; multi-mode exercise may improve adherence for those seeking variety. Key challenges include supplementing high-dose mind-body exercise data (>1,500 MET-min/week) and supporting long-term adherence amid menopausal physiological changes. Systematic review registration: This study has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD420251162965).

Indexed as

climacteric womendepressivedoseexercisenetwork

Identifiers

PMID42022412
PMCPMC13096043

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.