People who are active
are less likely to develop
Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.
are less likely to develop
Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.
After following
43,368 people in Sweden for an average of 12.6 years, researchers found that
even "a medium amount" of physical activity significantly lowers the
risk of the neurodegenerative disorder.
The latest
involved data
from 27,863 females and 15,505
males participating in the Swedish National March Cohort. None of the
participants had Parkinson's disease at the start of the study. Participants
were followed from Oct. 2007 to Dec. 2010.
from 27,863 females and 15,505
males participating in the Swedish National March Cohort. None of the
participants had Parkinson's disease at the start of the study. Participants
were followed from Oct. 2007 to Dec. 2010.
Researchers
identified 286 participants who developed Parkinson's disease.
Further analysis
revealed that people who spent
more than six hours a week on household and community activity were 43 percent
less likely to develop Parkinson's disease compared to those who spent less
than two hours per week on the same types of activities. The study also
revealed that men with "a medium level" of total physical activity
were 45 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. The study defined
moderate physical activity as performing
an average of 39.1 metabolic
equivalent hours per day. Metabolic equivalent is determined by quantifying the
estimated oxygen consumption associated with physical activity.
revealed that people who spent
more than six hours a week on household and community activity were 43 percent
less likely to develop Parkinson's disease compared to those who spent less
than two hours per week on the same types of activities. The study also
revealed that men with "a medium level" of total physical activity
were 45 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. The study defined
moderate physical activity as performing an average of 39.1 metabolic
equivalent hours per day. Metabolic equivalent is determined by quantifying the
estimated oxygen consumption associated with physical activity.
"Our study
has a number of strengths. This was a prospective study including both males
and females, and all information
on physical activity was assessed
before the disease occurrence, making recall bias and reverse causation less
likely," study author Karin Wirdefeldt, researcher at the Department of
Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Department of Clinical Neuroscience,
said in a news release.
on physical activity was assessed
before the disease occurrence, making recall bias and reverse causation less
likely," study author Karin Wirdefeldt, researcher at the Department of
Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Department of Clinical Neuroscience,
said in a news release.
"Another
major strength of this study is that we considered the entire spectrum of daily
energy output, rather than purely focusing on dedicated exercising
. Further, we conducted a rich set
of sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of our findings," she
noted.
. Further, we conducted a rich set
of sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of our findings," she
noted.
"We found
that a medium level of daily total physical activity is associated with a lower
risk of Parkinson's disease. The protective effect of physical activity was
further supported when we summarized all available evidence from published
prospective cohort studies. These findings are important for both the general population
and for the healthcare
of patients with Parkinson's
disease," Wirdefeldt concluded.
of patients with Parkinson's
disease," Wirdefeldt concluded.
The latest study
was published online in Brain: A
Journal of Neurology.
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