To better understand the relationship between physical activity and Parkinson’s disease, a group of researchers from the University of Lund (Sweden) analyzed the medical records of almost 200,000 long-distance skiers who participated in Vasaloppet, A cross-country ski race.
In total, they followed 197,685 participants (mean age 36 years; 38% women) of the classic annual cross-country skiing race of up to 90 km, from 1989 to 2010, and compared them with 197,684 non-skiers of the same age. The incidence of Parkinson’s disease was extracted from the National Patient Registry of Sweden.
Previous studies have shown the enormous benefits of exercise in many disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, but the reasons are not always clear. “Exercise seems to protect against the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but not necessarily against brain damage caused by it.”, explains Tomas T. Olsson, one of the main authors of the study.
And is that the results of the investigation, published in the ‘Journal of Parkinson’s Disease’, show that the skiers had almost 30% less likely to develop Parkinson’s than non-skiers. However, this effect It dissipated over time and increasing age and as a result there were diagnoses also among skiers that coincide with the general population.
“To understand the mechanisms behind the protective effects of exercise it is very important to establish if the exercise gives people greater reserve or direct protection“, explains researcher Martina Svensson.
“We speculate on the hypothesis that People who are physically well trained have a greater motor reserve, which would result in fewer motor symptoms and delay the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Similarly, the results of the work highlight the importance of staying physically active throughout life to face the consequences of aging, “explains Tomas Deierborg, an expert at Lund University.
“If a person is physically active, it is possible to maintain mobility for longer, despite the pathological changes in the brain“adds Dr. Olsson.
The importance of exercise
For his part, the co-editor of JPD, Bastiaan R. Bloem, MD, highlights the importance of Swedish research. “There is enormous interest in developing new therapies that can help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s. This study by Olsson and his colleagues is particularly exciting in that regard, since suggests that an easily available intervention, exercise, can actually achieve it. The study also provides an explanation of why exercise does not offer complete protection against the disease; supports the motor reserve of the brain and, as such, probably helps to postpone rather than completely prevent the onset of Parkinson’s symptoms, “he concludes.
The Parkinson It is a slowly progressive disorder that affects movement, muscle control and balance. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder related to age that affects approximately 3% of the population at the age of 65 and up to 5% of people over 85 years.
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