New research suggests that regular physical activity may help slow disease progression in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Conducted by the University of Cincinnati, the study included 294 participants, mostly around 66 years old, who had mild to moderate Parkinson’s.
Participants reported their weekly physical activities through questionnaires, which detailed various moderate and vigorous exercises they did, whether at work, home, or during leisure time. Moderate activities included brisk walking, light swimming, doubles tennis, and household chores like washing windows or mowing the lawn. Vigorous activities covered jogging, fast biking, singles tennis, as well as heavier tasks like shoveling.
The participants were then divided into groups based on their exercise frequency: up to four hours, four to eight hours, and more than eight hours weekly. The study monitored their cognitive and motor health over a period ranging from five to seven years. Notably, each additional hour of exercise was connected to slower declines in cognitive abilities and motor functions, even after adjusting for factors like age and disease severity.
Those who exercised for four to eight hours weekly showed slower declines in memory and thinking skills as compared to those who were less active. However, exercising more than eight hours a week didn’t seem to confer extra benefits in these areas.
This findings were published on October 7 in the medical journal Neurology. According to Dr. Dong-Woo Ryu, one of the study authors, Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that leads to worsening movement and cognitive capabilities. He emphasized that this study indicates a dual benefit of exercise on both movement and cognitive decline.
While the differences reported in activity levels seemed small, Ryu mentioned that these could become more significant over time. He pointed out that the impacts of exercise may be more pronounced depending on the duration and consistency of certain activities.
Though the research provided valuable insights, there were notable limitations. Most participants demonstrated relatively intact cognitive skills at the research’s onset, so further studies are needed to verify these results. Additionally, Dr. Vibhash Sharma, a neurologist, highlighted that the self-reported nature of physical activity logging might lead to inaccuracies in how much participants truly exercised.
Also, since the study population was primarily composed of individuals from one location and largely of the same race, there may be challenges in generalizing these findings to broader populations. Sharma suggested that individuals with a more slowly progressing form of the disease might also be more likely to remain active.
Randomized controlled trials are necessary to firmly establish whether exercise directly influences the rate of cognitive or motor decline in Parkinson’s patients. The study was funded by contributions from the Gardner Family Foundation and the Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases Fund.
