Physical activity, especially through face-to-face programs, reduces depression and anxiety in these patients.

A study led by researchers from the University of Granada, carried out in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the Radboud University Medical Center (The Netherlands), has shown that the context in which physical exercise is performed plays a key role in improving the mental health and quality of life of patients with coronary heart disease.

The result of the research, led by the research group of Prof. Francisco B. Ortega (Faculty of Sport Sciences. University of Granada) has been published in the European Heart Journal under the title Exercise type and settings, quality of life, and mental health in coronary artery disease: a network meta-analysis.

The scientists have analyzed 36 previous investigations that evaluated different physical exercise programs applied to a total of 3,534 patients with coronary artery disease from all over the world. Using an innovative method known asNetwork Meta-analysis, the researchers compared the effects of different types of exercise, including strength training, moderate aerobic training and high-intensity interval training. The results revealed that the context in which physical activity is performed, rather than the type of exercise, is crucial for maximizing the benefits on patients’ mental health and quality of life. In particular, face-to-face and supervised programs offered the greatest benefits, while home-based programs showed more modest results. This finding highlights the importance of designing exercise programs tailored to the context and with professional supervision, and the need to improve distance programs to maximize their mental benefits.

This study demonstrates that exercise not only improves physical and cardiac parameters, but also has a positive impact on patients’ mental health.”

Prof. Francisco B. Ortega, of the UGR

However, Ortega also emphasizes an important gap in the scientific literature: “We have found a lack of studies analyzing other aspects of brain health, such as cognitive functions or changes in brain structure and function.”

In addition, it is important to highlight that “patients with coronary heart disease have a higher risk of mental disorders compared to healthy people of the same age. This study argues that exercise can be a valuable tool to attenuate this risk, improving their quality of life and mental health,” explains researcher Esmée A. Bakker, UGR, and one of the lead authors of the study.

The study is expected to have a major impact on the scientific community, and especially direct implications at the clinical level. Previous work had concluded that physical exercise performed remotely, from home, or in person were equally effective in improving patients’ quality of life. However, “our study, including twice as many clinical trials and more advanced methodology, has shown that physical exercise performed in person and supervised, is clearly superior to that performed at home without supervision,” says Angel Toval, from theDDepartment of Physical Education and Sports of the Faculty of Sports Sciences of the UGR, and one of the researchers who have led this work.