Physical activity may protect women from Parkinson’s disease too

Exercise as a protective effect for Parkinson’s disease has already been observed in men, but the lack of studies and analysis targeting women has so far made any conclusions difficult. However, recent research showed the risk of developing Parkinson's disease was 25% lower among the most active women in the E3N cohort, compared to those who are the least active, according to a study by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), the universities of Paris-Saclay and Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, as well as the Gustave Roussy Institute. The results, published in Neurology in May, show that this beneficial effect is detectable up to 20 years before the disease is diagnosed. E3N is a French prospective cohort study on risk factors for female cancers. The cohort comprises 100,000 women, aged 40-65 years at baseline in 1990. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires every 18 months. “Parkinson's is 1.5 times more common in men,” said Dr. Alexis Elbaz, neurologist and research director at Inserm and one of the authors of the study, explaining that little data has been collected in women so far. The use of this French cohort of approximately 100,000 women followed since 1990 was therefore essential to identify the maximum number of cases. Over a period of 29 years, 1,200 have been identified. Warning symptoms The research team compared the physical activity levels of women living with and without Parkinson's, at intervals of 20, 15, 10 and five years before diagnosis. Although those living with the disease are generally less active, the gap widens more than 10 years before diagnosis, which may reflect the consequences of early symptoms of Parkinson’s. “People have more tremors, fall more, have balance problems," said Dr. Elbaz. “These difficulties in moving could explain a voluntary reduction in the level of physical activity. A sedentary lifestyle would then not cause Parkinson’s, but be its consequence. However, previous studies had not used a time lag to minimize this so-called “reverse causality” bias. The Inserm study does not make it possible to understand the underlying neuroprotective mechanisms, but several leads exist. According to Dr. Elbaz, physical activity affects brain plasticity and reduces oxidative stress, one of the causes of the disease. It is also recommended for people living with Parkinson’s, in addition to medication. QUIZ: Test your knowledge of sleep disorders in Parkinson's Disease Staying active The questionnaires distributed to the participants focused on various activities, such as household chores, gardening, walking and sports. Further studies will be needed to identify the most effective type of activity, frequency and intensity in order to design suitable preventive programs, said epidemiology Berta Portugal, first author of the study. However, it is important that doctors now encourage physical activity in patients at risk of developing the disease, according to the two colleagues. This includes people with early warning signs of the disease, including REM sleep behaviour disorder, for whom the risk is greatly increased. Since Parkinson's disease is diagnosed on average around age 60, according to Parkinson Canada, it is important to stay active in midlife, around age 50, said Dr. Elbaz. The results from the E3N cohort give him hope, because they reveal that there is no threshold at which physical activity becomes beneficial in the fight against Parkinson's. “Doing a little physical activity is already better than nothing at all,” he said.

Physical activity may protect women from Parkinson’s disease too

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