Getting regular exercise slashes the risk of Parkinson’s by a quarter in women, according to new research. Those who did most physical activity – such as cycling, walking, gardening, cleaning and playing sports – were 25 percent less likely to develop the disease.
This was compared to peers who managed the least. The findings are based on 95,354 women teachers tracked for three decades. They could lead to a screening program – with exercise programs being prescribed to vulnerable individuals.
Lead author Dr Alexis Elbaz, of the Inserm Research Centre in Paris, said: “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, a debilitating disease that has no cure.
“Our results provide evidence for planning interventions to prevent Parkinson’s.”
The volunteers were divided into four equal groups of just over 24,000 depending on METs (metabolic equivalent of a task) – a way to quantify energy expenditure. At the outset the highest group had an average physical activity score of 71 METs-hours per week – and those in the lowest 27.
Parkinson’s incidence fell by a quarter among the former when physical activity was assessed up to ten years before a diagnosis. This was after taking into account potential contributory factors like residence, age of first period, menopausal status and smoking.
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. Dr Elbaz said: “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.
“Our results support the creation of exercise programs to help lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
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 or doing moderate recreational activities like gardening and more vigorous ones such as sports.
Researchers assigned each activity a score. METs were multiplied by their frequency and duration. 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. During the study period 1,074 participants developed Parkinson’s. Worldwide there are six million people living with Parkinson’s, including 145,000 in the UK. It is the second most common neurological illness, behind Alzheimer’s.
Famous sufferers include Sir Billy Connolly, Michael J. Fox and Neil Diamond. The study was published in the journal Neurology.
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