Effects of Exercise Intervention on Physical and Mental Health of Individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Substance use disorder has become a serious challenge in the global public health field, severely impairing patients physiological function, mental health, and social adaptability. Traditional interventions have limitations in improving long-term rehabilitation outcomes and reducing relapse rates. Exercise intervention, as a green and safe non-pharmacological therapy, has gradually gained attention from the academic community. This review systematically analyzes 15 relevant studies and summarizes the effects of different exercise types—such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), mind-body exercises (Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, etc.), resistance training, and Pilates—on the physical fitness, body composition, physiological indicators, mental health, and drug craving of individuals with substance use disorder. The findings indicate that various exercise interventions can improve patients cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and body composition, relieve anxiety and depression, and reduce drug craving to varying degrees. Among them, HIIT shows significant effects on physical fitness enhancement and drug craving suppression; mind-body exercises are more suitable for improving psychological state and sleep quality; and combined exercise interventions often produce synergistic effects. This review aims to provide a scientific reference for exercise intervention in the clinical rehabilitation of individuals with substance use disorder, and to point out current research limitations and future directions. Key limitations of the reviewed studies include small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, and a predominance of male methamphetamine-dependent participants, which restrict the generalizability of the findings.