Exercise slows Parkinson’s disease in its early stages

Researchers asked 237 people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease how often and what kind of physical activity they did, for example. b- Walking or cycling at home, in the garden or at work. In addition, their mental abilities were tested.

After following patients for a number of years, the researchers found that it was not the amount of exercise at the start of the study that was the determining factor for the development of Parkinson’s disease, but the maintenance of physical activity over time: those who were able to incorporate at least four hours of exercise a week into their daily routine After five years they had less impairment in walking and balance than those who were less physically active.

Benefit for the body and mind

The active participants also performed better on tests measuring mental processing speed: With more than 15.5 hours of physical activity per week, scores remained about the same with 43 instead of 44, while the least active scored only an average of 40. points.

“Although medications can relieve some symptoms in Parkinson’s patients, they do not slow the progression of the disease. In contrast, regular physical activity, including housework and moderate exercise, may actually improve the disease’s long-term progression. “. Kazuto Tsukita of Kyoto University from findings published in the journal Neurology.

Which: DOI 10.1212 / WNL.000000000000013208