Study finds 2.5 hours of exercise per week could slow the physical declines in Parkinson's disease patients. Photo by Kzenon/Shutterstock
Researchers at Northwestern University have found that
even small amounts of exercise can have an impact on the progression of
Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder that
causes mobility impairment over time, impacting a person's quality of life and
eventually leading to death.
The study found that Parkinson's patients who
exercised regularly experienced slower declines in mobility and health-related
quality of life, or HRQL, over a two-year period.
We found that people with Parkinson's disease who
maintained exercise 150 minutes per week had a smaller decline in quality of
life and mobility over two years compared to people who did not exercise or
exercised less," Miriam R. Rafferty, researcher at Northwestern University
and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, said in a press release. "The
smaller decline was significant for people who started the study as regular
exercisers, as well as for people who started to exercise 150 minutes per week
after their first study-related visit."
More than 3,400 participants from the National
Parkinson Foundation Quality Improvement Initiative, an international clinical
study of care and outcomes from 21 sites in North America, the Netherlands and
Israel, participated in the two-year study.
Levels of exercise and quality of life measures were
self-reported by study participants through questionnaires.
Research did not determine which type of exercise was
the most beneficial, but any exercise done for at least 150 minutes a week is
helpful. Researchers found that HRQL benefits from 30-minute increases in
exercise per week were noted in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.
"People with PD should feel empowered to find the
type of exercise they enjoy, even those with more advanced symptoms,"
Rafferty said. "The most important part of the study is that it suggests
that people who are not currently achieving recommended levels of exercise could
start to exercise today to lessen the declines in quality of life and mobility
that can occur with this progressive disease."
The study was published in the
Journal of Parkinson's Disease.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2017/03/23/Study-finds-exercise-25-hours-a-week-slows-Parkinsons/8431490281158/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=1
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