Parkinson's Disease: Exercise Lowers Risk, Depression as an Early Sign
April 30, 2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Moderate to vigorous exercise may help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's, while depression may be an early sign of the disease. Two new studies highlight these findings.
Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health followed more than 143,000 people with an average age of 63 for more than 10 years. Among the participants, 413 developed Parkinson's disease during that time period.
The researchers found participants with moderate to vigorous activity levels -- an average of a half hour or more per day -- were 40 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's than those with no or light activity levels.
Researchers note the study does not prove exercise lowered risk of Parkinson's, but because of its overall benefits, they say exercising several times a week doesn't hurt.
Meanwhile, another new study from Harvard School of Public Health shows depression may be an early symptom of Parkinson's.
The research looked at whether people taking antidepressants are more likely to develop the disease than those not taking them. Results show in the year before they were diagnosed with Parkinson's, those taking antidepressants were nearly twice as likely to develop the disease as those not taking the drugs.
"This should not be interpreted as evidence that antidepressants cause Parkinson's disease," Miguel Hernan, M.D., Dr.PH, Harvard School of Public Health was quoted as saying. "The relationship is only apparent in the year before the onset of the disease, which suggests that depression is an early symptom of the disease."
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 - May 5, 2007
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