Summary: Regular physical activity, from cycling and walking to gardening and household chores, can 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 than those who exercised the least. This study does not establish that exercise directly reduces the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, but it does show a significant association.
Highlights:
- The study involved 95,354 participants, mostly female teachers, with an average age of 49, and none of them had Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study.
- Over a period of three decades, 1,074 participants developed Parkinson’s disease.
- After adjusting for various factors, the researchers found that people in the highest exercise group had a 25% lower rate of developing Parkinson’s disease than those in the lowest exercise group when the activity physical was assessed up to 10 years before diagnosis.
Source: AT
According to new research, regular exercise such as cycling, walking, gardening, cleaning and playing sports can reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
The study found that participants who exercised the most had a 25% lower rate of Parkinson’s disease than those who exercised the least. The study does not prove that exercise reduces the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. It shows only one association.
“Exercise is an inexpensive way to improve overall health, so our study set out to determine whether it might be linked to a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a debilitating disease with no cure,” said L. 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.”
The study included 95,354 participants, mostly teachers, with an average age of 49 who did not have Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study. The researchers followed the participants for three decades during which 1,074 participants developed Parkinson’s disease.
During the study, participants completed up to six questionnaires about the types and amounts of physical activity they did.
They were asked how long 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 on moderate recreational activities such as gardening and more vigorous activities like sports.
The researchers assigned each activity a score based on the metabolic equivalent of a task (MET), a way to quantify energy expenditure.
For each activity, the 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 like walking and cleaning were three METs.
Participants’ average physical activity level 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 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 participating in the study and the time each person spends on the study.
After adjusting for factors such as place of residence, age at first menstrual period, menopausal status and smoking status, researchers found that people in the highest exercise group had a higher rate of disease development. 25% lower than those in the lowest exercise group when physical activity was reduced. assessed up to 10 years prior to diagnosis; the association persisted 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.
The researchers also found that 10 years before diagnosis, physical activity decreased at a faster rate in people with Parkinson’s disease than in those without, likely due to early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
“Through our large study, not only did we find that participants who exercised the most had a lower rate of developing Parkinson’s disease, but we also showed that early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were few. likely to explain these findings, and instead exercise is beneficial and may help delay or prevent this disease,” Elbaz said.
“Our findings support the creation of exercise programs to help reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
A limitation of the study was that the 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 the General Mutual for National Education, the Gustave Roussy Institute, the French League against Cancer and the National Research Agency.
About this exercise and current research on Parkinson’s disease
Author: Nathalie Conrad
Source: AT
Contact: Natalie Conrad – Ont.
Picture: Image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: The findings will appear in Neurology