More Proof That Your Daily Ride May Help You Avoid Parkinson’s Disease

BY JORDAN SMITH     OCT 11, 2018

THE MORE YOU GET ON YOUR BIKE, THE BETTER. 

Adding high levels of physical activity—moderate to vigorous—into your exercise routine can decrease the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a new review of studies published in the JAMA Network Open that examined the relationship between how much you’re moving and the nervous system disorder that affects your movement. 

The meta-analysis, based on published perspective studies, found that vigorous physical activity—like cycling—reduced the risk of PD in men, specifically.

For this analysis, each activity looked at was assigned an average metabolic equivalent task (MET) value. (One MET is defined as the energy is takes to sit quietly.) Activities that require a greater MET value (a 14–16 mph ride, for example) are considered vigorous activity, and fewer METs (a 10–12 mph ride) were considered moderate activity.

For each 10 MET-hours per week the participants engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity (not going for a leisurely ride), the risk of PD among men decreased by 10 percent for moderate activity and 17 percent for vigorous activity, said Dr. Fudi Wang, Ph.D., at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China, in an email to Bicycling. 

This effect could not be correlated in women, but Wang said more research could show if there’s a similar connection. 

[Find 52 weeks of tips and motivation, with space to fill in your mileage and favorite routes, with the Bicycling Training Journal.] 

“Men and women may have different biological responses to physical activity. Determining whether physical activity [in males and females] makes a difference for [Parkinson’s] risk will be important in developing appropriate interventions,” Wang said. He added that further studies with specific types of exercise will help establish more precise information regarding the association.

Though the study authors cannot give a specific weekly recommended value of exercise, Wang said, “More than 20 MET-hours per week of total physical activity seems appropriate.”

Since your regular cycling workout can get you into the moderate to vigorous activity threshold, chances are you may already lowering your risk of Parkinson’s without knowing it. 

According to some current guidelines, you’ll be able to hit Wang’s suggested 20 MET-hours per week in just a few moderate to vigorous rides. For example, if you’re already out for a ride that’s 10–12 mph, you’ll hit around 6–8 METs , meaning you’d need to complete just over three hours of cycling per week at this pace to lower your risk of PD. And if you crank up the intensity or distance, you’ll reach that benchmark even faster.

https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrition/a23711468/parkinsons-disease-lower-risk-with-cycling/