Summary: Regular exercise, from cycling and walking to gardening and housework, can reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
The study found that women who exercised more had a 25 percent lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease compared to those who exercised less. This study did not prove that exercise directly reduces the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, but it does show a significant correlation.
Key facts:
- The study included 95,354 female participants, mostly teachers, with an average age of 49, none of whom had Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study.
- Over three decades, 1,074 participants developed Parkinson’s disease.
- After adjusting for various factors, the researchers found that those in the high physical activity group had a 25% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those in the low physical activity group when physical activity was assessed up to 10 years prior to diagnosis.
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Regular physical activity such as cycling, walking, gardening, cleaning and sports may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, new research suggests.
The study found that female participants who exercised more had a 25 percent lower rate of Parkinson’s disease compared to those who exercised less. The study did not prove that exercise reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease. It only shows association.
“Exercise is a low-cost way to improve overall health, so our study wanted to find out if it was associated with a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease without a cure,” said study author Alexis Elbaz, MD, PhD, of the Enserm Research Center in Paris, France.
“Our results provide evidence for planning to prevent Parkinson’s disease.”
The study included 95,354 female participants, mostly teachers, who did not have Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study and were on average 49 years old. Researchers followed the participants for three decades, during which time 1,074 participants developed Parkinson’s disease.
During the study, participants completed up to six questionnaires about the type and amount of exercise they were getting.
They were asked how far they walked and how many stairs they climbed each day, how many hours they spent on household activities, as well as moderate recreational activities such as gardening and more vigorous activities such as sports.
Researchers decided to measure energy expenditure based on metabolic equivalents (METs) of each activity.
For each activity, METs were multiplied by their frequency and duration to obtain a weekly METs-hours of exercise score. For example, high-intensity exercise such as cycling was six METs, while low-intensity exercise such as walking and cleaning was three METs.
At the start of the study, participants’ average physical activity was 45 METs-hours per week.
Participants were divided into four equal groups of over 24,000 each. At the start of the study, those in the highest group averaged 71 METs-hours of physical activity per week. Those in the lowest group averaged 27 METs-hours per week.
Among participants in the high physical activity group, there were 246 cases of Parkinson’s disease, or 0.55 cases per 1,000 person-years, and 286 cases, or 0.73 cases per 1,000 person-years, among participants in the low physical activity 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 at first menstruation and menopause, and smoking, researchers found that those in the high-exercise group were 25 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease when exercising than those in the low-exercise group. It is evaluated up to 10 years before diagnosis; The association remains when exercise is evaluated for up to 15 or 20 years before the diagnosis.
Results were similar after adjusting for dietary or medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers also found that physical activity declined faster in people with Parkinson’s than those without in the 10 years before diagnosis, possibly because of early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
“In our extensive study, not only did female participants who exercised more have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, but we also showed that early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease do not explain these findings, but rather that exercise is beneficial and may help delay or prevent the disease,” said Elbaz.
“Our results support the creation of exercise programs to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
The limitations of the study are that the participants were mostly health-oriented teachers willing to participate in a long-term study, so the results may be different for the general population.
Financial support The study was supported by the General Mutual of National Education, the Gustave Roussy Institute, the French Anti-Cancer League and the French National Research Agency.
News about this practice and Parkinson’s disease research
Author: Natalie Conrad
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Image: Image credited to Neuroscience News.
Preliminary study: The findings are shown in Neurology