Parkinson's UK Oxford Branch Parkinson's UK, our parent charity

January 2020

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Exercise really IS the best medicine

 Jonathan Bromley

It really does get rather boring, doesn’t it? Everyone nags you about exercise. Your GP, your partner, your family, random people you meet in the pub - everyone tells you that exercise is good for you, more exercise is even better for you, vigorous exercise is better still. Yawn.

The trouble is, they’re right.

Everywhere you look, expert advice suggests people with Parkinson’s should do as much exercise as they can. Your Parkinson’s specialist has almost certainly said it. Your Parkinson’s nurse has probably said it. There’s a great page of resources about exercise on the Parkinson’s UK website. But is it real? Where’s the science?

Recently a rigorous clinical trial by Bas Bloem, a leading Parkinson’s researcher in the Netherlands, has shown beyond reasonable doubt that vigorous aerobic exercise three times a week can significantly slow the progression of Parkinson’s. What’s more, he managed to make it fun!

The study compared aerobic exercise done on a stationary home-trainer (aerobic intervention group) with gentler stretching (active control group). Both interventions were home based, requiring 30–45 min training three times per week for 6 months. Both groups received a motivational app and remote supervision.

The off-state UPDRS (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale) motor score revealed a between-group difference of 4.2 points in favour of aerobic exercise in the intervention group. This study gives yet more support to the benefits of exercise in Parkinson’s, particularly anything that gets you sweaty and out of breath (as long as it’s approved by your doctor). There is a good article about the study here on Simon Stott’s Science of Parkinson’s blog, with links to Prof.Bloem’s original article.

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