A study published in the Neurology Journal reveals that people with early-stage Parkinson’s Disease, who regularly got one to two hours of moderate exercise twice a week, may have less trouble with their daily physical activities later. Researchers found that those who exercised regularly over five years did better on cognitive tests and experienced a slower progression in several aspects.
Study author Kazoo Tsukita, MD of Kyoto University in Japan and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said, “Our results are exciting because they suggest it may never be too late for someone with Parkinson’s to start an exercise program to improve the course of their disease. That’s because we found that to slow progression of the disease, it was more important for people with Parkinson’s to maintain an exercise program than it was to be active at the beginning of the disease.”
The study examined 237 people with early-stage Parkinson’s. They had an average age of 63 and were followed by researchers for up to six years. Participants’ exercise levels at the start of the study were determined using a questionnaire that measures time and intensity during the previous week of leisure activity, like walking and biking, household activity, like gardening, and occupational activity, like taking care of others.
Researchers found that people’s physical activity level at the start of the study was not associated with the progression of their Parkinson’s later on. People who got at least four hours per week of moderate to vigorous exercise like walking or dancing had a slow decline in balancing and walking five years later, as compared to those who did not get that much exercise.
