In 2025, J. Zeng and a team from China reviewed 9 randomized trials with 514 adults battling depression. They compared high-intensity exercise (like intense running or weight lifting) to control groups, measuring depression with standard scales like the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Workouts lasted from weeks to months.

In 2023, Mark Hyman from the UltraWellness Center reviewed research on mitochondria, the cell powerhouses that convert food to energy. They decline with age, causing fatigue, brain fog, muscle weakness, and inflammation linked to diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Exercise triggers mitophagy, clearing damaged mitochondria, with studies showing 20-30% better mitochondrial function in active people vs. sedentary.

In 2023, Ben Singh and a team reviewed 97 meta-analyses covering 1,039 trials with 128,119 adults to compare exercise against psychotherapy or medications for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. They looked at various workouts—brisk walking, weights, yoga—measuring effects on mood, stress, and brain chemicals.

In 2025, Francesco Bettariga and a team from Edith Cowan University studied breast cancer survivors. They tested a single 30-minute session of resistance training (like weights) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), measuring myokines—proteins from muscles that fight cancer. Blood samples were taken before, right after, and 30 minutes post-workout to see effects on cancer cells in a lab.