According to researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), exercise routine started in early adulthood may reduce the risk of having Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a disease of the nerves that affect people in their middle ages. Some symptoms of the condition are muscle tremor, muscle rigidity and inability to maintain a posture. The disease affects the brain cells that produce a neural substance called dopamine. According to the scientists, the disease less affects adult males who exercise regularly since their early adulthood than males who were lethargic. At times these males may reduce the occurrence of the disease by at least 50% to 60%.The researchers had studied 48000 males and 77000 females since 1986; all were free of the disease at the time of the beginning of study. Only 387 cases of Parkinson’s were diagnosed in the course of study.
The researchers feel that women too may also have less chance of having Parkinson’s if they follow an exercise regime. However, their number was too less to be of any statistical significance. Hence more study is required to prove the relationship between women and Parkinson’s.
Links:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/hsop-pal021805.php
