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Two Recent Studies
Exercise Proves Valuable in Lowering Risk for
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
March 15, 2005 – Two of the diseases most feared by
senior citizens – Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – may be prevented or
slowed by exercise, according to two recent studies. The Alzheimer’s
study showed that middle-aged people taking regular exercise at least
twice a week could reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease
by 50 percent. The Parkinson’s study found that men who exercised
regularly and vigorously early in their adult life lowered risk for
Parkinson's by as much as 60 percent.
"An active lifestyle, both physical, mental and
social, is preventive. It's never too early to start to prevent
Alzheimer's disease," said Miia Kivipelto, an Alzheimer's disease
specialist at Stockholm's Gerontology Research Centre.
An estimated 12 million people worldwide suffer
from Alzheimer's, which is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly.
There is no cure for a condition which robs people of their memory and
mental ability but drugs have been approved to alleviate symptoms,
according to a report by Reuters.
Kivipelto has been involved with other dementia
studies indicating the benefits of exercise, healthy diet, and mental
activity. Negative factors for Alzheimer’s include high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and obesity.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive nervous
disease occurring generally after age 50. It destroys brain cells that
produce dopamine and is characterized by muscular tremor, slowing of
movement, rigidity and postural instability.
Men who were the most physically active at the
start of this study cut their risk of developing Parkinson's disease by
50 percent compared to men study participants who were the least
physically active. The authors also found that men who reported
regularly having engaged in strenuous physical activity in early adult
life cut the risk for Parkinson's by 60 percent compared to those who
did not.
Among women in the study, strenuous activity in the
early adult years was also linked to a lower risk of Parkinson's, but
this relationship was not statistically significant, and there was no
clear relationship between physical activity later in life and
Parkinson's risk.
About the Parkinson’s research, Alberto Ascherio,
senior author and associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at
the Harvard School of Public Health, where the study was done, said:
"These are intriguing and promising findings that suggest that physical
activity may contribute to the prevention of Parkinson's. A protective
effect of physical activity has been recently found in an animal model
of Parkinson's disease -- this convergence of epidemiological and
experimental data is what we are looking for, because consistent results
are more likely to reflect biological mechanisms with important clinical
implications. Future studies should also address the possibility that
physical activity slows the progression of Parkinson's."
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