Table 1.

Clinical evidence of physical exercise use on methamphetamine addiction management

Reference	Sample	Type of Exercise	Duration of exercise	Outcomes
Dolezal et al98	29 METH‐dependent individuals finished the proposed program, resulting in a 74% adherence rate; 15 elements in the exercise group and 14 in a health education group without training (sedentary)(n = 39 individuals)	Aerobic training (30 min): first 3 wks jogging and/or walking on treadmill during 30 min, at intensity based on heart rate (HR); the subsequent 5 wks had increasing intensity;Resistance training (30 min): progressive, circuit‐type, resistance training that included all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body	3 d/wk; 8 wks	Aerobic capacity and endurance: improvement of VO2 max (↑21%) as well as muscle strength and endurance in the exercise group;Body composition and anthropometry: reduction in percent relative body fat (↓15%) and reduction in fat weight (↓18%) in the exercise group.
Dolezal et al99	28 METH‐dependent individuals under residential treatment were divided into two subgroups of 14 elements: exercise and equal‐attention health education program without training (sedentary); these were compared to 22 aged‐matched, drug‐free, sedentary controls (n = 50, all males)	Aerobic training (30 min): first 3 wks jogging and/or walking on treadmill during 30 min, at intensity based on HR; the subsequent 5 wks had increasing intensity;Resistance training (30 min): progressive, circuit‐type, resistance training that included all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body	3 d/wk; 8 wks	Exercise markedly increased HRV (HRV was reduced in recently abstinent users when compared with sedentary drug‐free controls);Exercise improved gain in aerobic capacity (VO2 max; 24%);Exercise increased muscle strength and endurance for upper (51% and 90%, respectively) and lower body (40% and 112%, respectively) (resistance training);Body composition and anthropometry: reductions in body mass (−3%), percent relative body fat (−14%), and body mass index (−4%) in the exercise group.
Rawson et al93	138 METH‐dependent individuals under residential treatment were randomly assigned to the exercise group (67 users) or to the Educational group (sedentary; 71 users)	Aerobic training: 5 min of warm‐up, 30 min of aerobic activity on a treadmill;Resistance training: 15 min weight lifting in major muscle groups, and 5 min of cooldown and stretching; 3 d/wk	3 d/wk, 8 wks	8‐week follow‐up postdischarge: 1 and 2 patients were lost to follow‐up from the sedentary and the exercise group, respectively;Physical exercise significantly reduced depression and anxiety symptom scores at study discharge (according to Beck Depression Inventory)
Rawson et al101	138 METH‐dependent individuals under residential treatment were randomly assigned to the exercise group (71 users) or the educational group (sedentary) (67 users)	Aerobic training: 5 min of warm‐up, 30 min of aerobic activity on a treadmill;Resistance training: 15 min weightlifting in major muscle groups, and 5 min of cooldown and stretching; 3 d/wk	3 d/wk, 8 wks	8‐week follow‐up postdischarge: 1 and 2 patients were lost to follow‐up from the sedentary and the exercise group, respectively;Physical exercise (followed by no additional encouragement or support for continued exercise) decreased METH use among lower severity METH users at 1, 3, and 6 mo posttreatment. This benefit was sustained for 6 mo.
Robertson et al100	METH‐dependent individuals were randomized to a group that received 1 h supervised exercise training (exercised; n = 10) or one that received equal‐time health education training (sedentary; n = 9)	Aerobic training (30 min): first 3 wks jogging and/or walking on treadmill during 30 min, at intensity based on HR; the subsequent 5 wks had increasing intensity;Resistance training (30 min): progressive, circuit‐type, resistance training that included all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body	3 d/wk; 8 wks	Exercised patients displayed a significant increase in striatal D2/D3 receptor availability compared to the sedentary group;There were no changes in D2/D3 receptor availability in extrastriatal regions in either group.
Wang et al103	Participants were randomly divided into the four treatment groups: the three intensities of exercise treatments (light, moderate, and high) and a reading control	Aerobic exercise: 5‐min warm‐up; 20‐min exercise using a bicycle ergometer at 50 rpm; 5‐min cooldown;Participants were instructed to cycle while keeping their HR at one of three desired exercise intensities: within the range of 40%‐50%, 65%‐75%, or 85%‐95% of their maximum HR	Two bouts of acute aerobic exercise 1‐week apart	Acute moderate‐intensity exercise may be associated with more positive effects related with METH‐associated craving and inhibitory control in METH‐dependent individuals (behavioral and neuroelectric measures).
Wang et al105	Sixty‐two people with METH dependencies were recruited through the Drug Rehabilitation Bureau and were assigned to either an aerobic exercise or attentional control group; 50 participants completed the trial.	Aerobic exercise: 5‐min warm‐up; 30‐min sessions of moderate‐intensity exercise (ie, cycling, jogging, or jump rope); 5‐min cooldown;The exercise training program began at an intensity of 65%‐70% of the HR max for each METH‐dependent individual. After the second week, the intensity was gradually increased to 70%‐75% of HR max, based on the participant's response.	3 d/wk; 12 wks	Moderate‐intensity aerobic exercise training attenuated METH‐associated cravings and improved inhibitory control in METH‐dependent individuals (behavioral and neuroelectric measures).