Regular exercise is known to have a wealth of health benefits and new research shows it can help women reduce their risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
A study published on Wednesday in the American Academy of Neurology found female participants who worked out most had a 25 percent lower rate of developing the "debilitating disease", compared to those who exercised least.
According to the NHS, the neurological condition - which has no cure - occurs when parts of the brain become progressively damaged over a number of years. It poses a number of symptoms, which include involuntary shaking known as tremors, slow movement and stiffening muscles.
Researchers hope their findings will help develop movement programs for Parkinson's prevention. The study does not prove that exercise lowers the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease but shows an association between both.
"Exercise is a low-cost way to improve health overall, so our study sought to determine if it may be linked to a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a debilitating disease that has no cure," said study author Alexis Elbaz, MD, PhD, of the Inserm Research Center in Paris.
"Our results provide evidence for planning interventions to prevent Parkinson’s disease."
The study included 95,354 women with an average age of 49 who did not have Parkinson’s disease at the start of the study. Researchers followed them for three decades, during which 1,074 participants developed the condition.
Over the 30 year period, participants answered questions on physical activity, including type and amount. They also addressed incidental exercise levels, like walking up and down the stairs and household activities.
Participants were divided into four groups of 24,000 based on exercise levels, rating from little to high physical activity. Among the participants in the highest exercise group, there were 246 cases of Parkinson’s, compared to 286 cases among those in the lowest group.
After adjusting for factors like residence, age of first period menopausal status, and smoking, researchers found those in the highest exercise group had a 25 percent lower rate of developing Parkinson’s disease than those in the group that exercised least - when physical activity was assessed up to 10 years before diagnosis.
The association remained when physical activity was assessed up to 15 or 20 years before diagnosis.
Researchers also found that 10 years before diagnosis, physical activity declined at a faster rate in those with Parkinson’s disease than in those without, likely due to early symptoms.
"With our large study, not only did we find that female participants who exercise the most have a lower rate of developing Parkinson’s disease, we also showed that early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were unlikely to explain these findings, and instead that exercise is beneficial and may help delay or prevent this disease,” said Elbaz.
"Our results support the creation of exercise programs to help lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease."
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