Researchers
also found that 10 years before diagnosis, physical activity declined
at a faster rate in those with Parkinson’s disease than in those
without, likely due to early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Credit:
Neuroscience News
Summary: Regular
physical activity, from cycling and walking to gardening and household
chores, may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
The
study found that women who exercised the most had a 25% lower rate of
Parkinson’s disease compared to those who exercised the least. This
study does not establish that exercise directly lowers the risk of
developing Parkinson’s disease, but it does show a significant
association.
Key Facts:
The study
involved 95,354 female participants, primarily teachers, with an average
age of 49, and none of them had Parkinson’s disease at the onset of the
study. Over a span of three decades, 1,074 participants developed Parkinson’s disease. After
adjusting for various factors, researchers found those in the highest
exercise group had a 25% lower rate of developing Parkinson’s disease
than those in the lowest exercise group when physical activity was
assessed up to 10 years before diagnosis. Source: AAN
Getting
regular exercise such as cycling, walking, gardening, cleaning and
participating in sports may decrease the risk of developing Parkinson’s
disease, according to new research.
The study found
female participants who exercised the most had a 25% lower rate of
Parkinson’s disease when compared to those who exercised the least. The
study does not prove that exercise lowers the risk of developing
Parkinson’s disease. It only shows an association.
“Exercise is a
low-cost way to improve health overall, so our study sought to determine
if it may be linked to a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a
debilitating disease that has no cure,” said study author Alexis Elbaz,
MD, PhD, of the Inserm Research Center in Paris, France.
“Our results provide evidence for planning interventions to prevent Parkinson’s disease.”
Researchers
also found that 10 years before diagnosis, physical activity declined
at a faster rate in those with Parkinson’s disease than in those
without, likely due to early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Credit:
Neuroscience News The study included 95,354
female participants, mostly teachers, with an average age of 49 who did
not have Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study. Researchers
followed participants for three decades during which 1,074 participants
developed Parkinson’s disease.
Over the course of the study,
participants completed up to six questionnaires about the types and
amounts of physical activity they were getting.
They were asked
how far they walked and how many flights of stairs they climbed daily,
how many hours they spent on household activities as well as how much
time they spent doing moderate recreational activities such as gardening
and more vigorous activities such as sports.
Researchers assigned
each activity a score based on the metabolic equivalent of a task
(METs), a way to quantify energy expenditure.
For each activity,
METs were multiplied by their frequency and duration to obtain a
physical activity score of METs-hours per week. For example, a more
intense form of exercise like cycling was six METs, while less intense
forms of exercise such as walking and cleaning were three METs.
The average physical activity level for participants was 45 METs-hours per week at the start of the study.
Participants
were divided into four equal groups of just over 24,000 people each. At
the start of the study, those in the highest group had an average
physical activity score of 71 METs-hours per week. Those in the lowest
group had an average score of 27 METs-hours per week.
Among the
participants in the highest exercise group, there were 246 cases of
Parkinson’s disease or 0.55 cases per 1,000 person-years compared to 286
cases or 0.73 per 1,000 person-years among participants in the lowest
exercise group. Person-years represent both the number of people in the
study and the amount of time each person spends in the study.
After
adjusting for factors such as place of residence, age of first period
and menopausal status, and smoking, researchers found those in the
highest exercise group had a 25% lower rate of developing Parkinson’s
disease than those in the lowest exercise group when physical activity
was assessed up to 10 years before diagnosis; the association remained
when physical activity was assessed up to 15 or 20 years before
diagnosis.
Results were similar after adjusting for diet or
medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and
cardiovascular disease.
Researchers also found that 10 years
before diagnosis, physical activity declined at a faster rate in those
with Parkinson’s disease than in those without, likely due to early
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
“With our large study, not only
did we find that female participants who exercise the most have a lower
rate of developing Parkinson’s disease, we also showed that early
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were unlikely to explain these findings,
and instead that exercise is beneficial and may help delay or prevent
this disease,” said Elbaz.
“Our results support the creation of exercise programs to help lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
A
limitation of the study was that participants were mostly
health-conscious educators who volunteered to participate in a long-term
study, so results may be different for the general population.
Funding: The
study was supported by General Mutual of National Education, the
Gustave Roussy Institute, the French League Against Cancer and the
French National Research agency.
About this exercise and Parkinson’s disease research news Author: Natalie Conrad Source: AAN Contact: Natalie Conrad – AANImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in Neurology
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