Long-term exercise can delay Parkinson's disease progression and cognitive declineFrontiers progress

One to two hours of moderate-to-vigorous exercise twice a week appears to slow disease progression and cognitive decline in people with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD), new research shows
.

Compiled and organized by Yimaitong, please do not reprint without authorization
.

Study Introduction Exercise has long been recognized as a promising intervention to alter the clinical course of PD patients
.

In addition to exercise, any regular physical activity, including activities of daily living that require movement and energy expenditure, has the potential to slow the course of PD
.

However, the follow-up periods in these studies were all "short," the researchers noted
.

 To investigate the potential "long-term disease-modifying effects" of exercise and high daily physical activity levels in PD patients, the researchers used data from the Parkinson's Disease Progression Markers Initiative, a large international longitudinal study, to conduct a study of more than 200 early-stage PD patients.
Follow-up was up to 6 years, and exercise levels were assessed at baseline and throughout the study period
.

The study included a range of demographic and disease-related factors, including motor function, cognitive function, and regular physical activity as measured by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE)
.

PASE measures the time and intensity of leisure, family, and occupational activities
.

Researchers assessed overall cognitive function using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and depression using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
.

Global motor function was assessed using the Movement Disorders Society's Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) revised version, and specific motor symptoms were assessed using the Postural Instability/Gait Disorder (PIGD) subscale
.

 Main findings: ➤ In PD patients, changes in physical activity levels over time were significantly associated with slow deterioration in postural and gait stability, activities of daily living, and processing speed (Table 1)
.

 ➤ Those who performed 4 hours per week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise experienced slower declines in postural and gait stability and processing speed after 5 years compared with their peers with lower levels of exercise
.

 ➤ Even those who were physically active for 1-2 hours twice a week had slower disease progression compared to those who were physically active for 1 hour
.

 Table 1 Interactions of physical activity levels on clinical parameters of Parkinson's disease.
Conclusions Regular physical activity, including housework and moderate exercise, may actually improve disease progression in the long run
.

Best of all, exercise is low cost and has few side effects
.

For people with PD, continue to maintain physical activity, even in small amounts
.

Because it's never too late to start exercising
.

 Compiled from: Exercise Slows Progression, Cognitive Decline in Early Parkinson's - Medscape - Jan 17, 2022.