BACKGROUND: regular physical activity plays a relevant role in health maintenance and disease prevention. However, excess exercise may generate adverse effects both on physical and mental activity. AIMS: to provide a state-of-the-art overview on exercise addiction, considering its concept, symptoms, diagnosis, epidemiological aspects, etiological factors, and potential interventions. METHODS: articles related to the topic were reviewed through Pubmed, Sportdiscus, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science databases, using combinations of the following keywords: "exercise", "addiction" and " @entity734 ". RESULTS: regular exercise taken into excess may result in adverse health consequences and quality of @entity73 . Diagnosis of exercise addiction requires the employment of questionnaires such as the Exercise @entity734 Scale (EDS) and the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI). These instruments have allowed the estimation of a 3% prevalence among exercise practitioners. Proposed hypotheses to explain the etiology of this disorder include both physiological and psychological mechanisms. Treatment is based on the cognitive-behavioral approach, but effectiveness needs to be evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: although different hypotheses have been proposed to explain exercise @entity734 , integrative models are still necessary. A clinical validation of diagnostic instruments and a deepening into the relationship with @entity146 are also required.

[Exercise addiction: an emergent XXXX ].

@entity73 :: ('MESH:D003072', 'Disease') :: ['life impairment'] @entity734 :: ('MESH:D019966', 'Disease') :: ['dependence', 'Dependence'] @entity146 :: ('MESH:D001523', 'Disease') :: ['behavioral eating disorders']
@entity146 :: (MESH:D001523,Disease) :: ['behavioral disorder']
