Daily Exercise Linked to Lower Risk of Parkinson’s Disease

A recent study shows that a medium level of daily physical activity is associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm had their findings published in Brain: A Journal of Neurology, after following thousands of people over a period of 12 years.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressively degenerative neurological disorder that occurs due to a loss of brain cells that produce dopamine. It usually affects people aged 50 and over.
The four major symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are trembling of limbs, jaw and face; stiffness of limbs; slow movements; and poor motor skills.
The researchers analyzed over 43,000 women and men in Sweden by following them over an average of more than 12 years. None of the participants had Parkinson’s disease when they enrolled. Approximately 300 participants had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s by the end of the research.
Study leader Dr. Karin Wirdefeldt, a researcher in medical epidemiology, biostatistics and clinical neuroscience, said, “We found that a medium level of daily total physical activity is associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
The people who got more than six hours a week of physical activity had a 43 percent lower risk of Parkinson’s than those participants who got less than two hours a week of physical activity. The physical activity involved household tasks and commuting to work.
The researchers also found that men with a medium level of daily exercise were 45 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s than those with a low level of total physical exercise.
People with Parkinson’s disease who exercise are healthier and fare better over time than those who with inactive lifestyles. Aerobic exercise and flexibility, strength and balance activities improve Parkinson’s symptoms.