Just as we’re comfortable thinking the one-size-fits-all advice that exercise gets rid of the blues — or the blahs if you’re not cool — research in the Archives of General Psychiatry says that relief of depression and anxiety may be due to genetics and not an across-the-board effect.

Authors of the new study say that the results that showed exercise cured the blues were from controlled clinical studies where scientists were looking at ways to cure depression and anxiety. The fit for the general population remains unclear. That’s why this new set of researchers took up the gauntlet to specifically test exercise as a mood enhancer. And that’s how they found out it’s not a one-size-fits-all upper.

My fear, even voiced buy the authors of the study, is this information could make a few people stop exercising. Instead, I also fear that is more sludge into the population’s trust of science. What have we heard: alcohol is beneficial, alcohol is harmful; exercise helps, exercise doesn’t help; use it, leave it alone; sleep more, sleep less.

The new research tested more than 5,000 people including twins and found exercise didn’t always improve depression and anxiety and there was no way to tell when it would. People who got mood improvements from exercise were found to be those who genetically increased their production of brain chemicals, associated with feeling good.So faced with another study vs. study scenario, if you were exercising for mood improvement, should you cancel your gym membership? No, not even close.  Let’s take into account — from a guy who reads a lot of science and medical stuff –  that many people are depressed because they feel bad. They don’t need an emotional smack on the head. They may feel bad because they’re out of shape, chubby, no stamina, screwed up sleep.

What’s not in dispute is that whenever exercise improves stamina, increases energy, regulates blood sugar, strengthens the heart, Roto-Rooters the blood vessels, helps you sleep more soundly and improves your libido, you feel better, more confident, better looking, more able to keep up … with anything — an improved quality of life.

In other words, exercise because it’s  going to help you. As for the scientists playing ping pong with research results, I’m sure they’ll come to a solid conclusion one day — NOT!