Parkinson’s is a progressive movement disorder of the brain that commonly effects men more than women. Debilitating symptoms of this disease include worsening balance, increased stiffness and contractures of extremities, tremors, and dementia.

Research from Kyoto University published in medical journal, Neurology, of data from 257 people over an approximate five year follow-up, researchers found that regular physical activity, of moderate to vigorous intensity of four hours a week, experienced slower deterioration of postural and gait stability, activities of daily living, and cognitive processing speed for those with early-stages of Parkinson’s Disease.

The results were specific to the kind of activity. Exercise was associated with slower decline of postural and gait stability, whole work-related (functional activities) were associated with slower deterioration in cognitive processing.

“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,” Tsukita, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

While exercise can slow the progression of the debility associated with Parkinson’s Disease, to this date, there are still no cures. Despite this, the fact is that it is still never too late to do something about your circumstances in hopes to bring some improvement to it…and once again, exercise is good for you, so should do it whether or not you have Parkinson’s.

K Tsukita et al. Long-term effect of regular physical activity and exercise habits in patients with early Parkinson Disease. Neurology 2022. Online First: 01/12/2022. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000013218