Higher levels of physical activity may be linked to a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a large UK study suggests. Researchers found that people with higher activity levels had a reduced risk of developing the progressive neurological disease.
A large analysis of UK Biobank data has found that regular physical activity may be associated with a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that damages nerve cells responsible for controlling muscle movement.
The study examined data from 384,836 participants who provided information about their physical activity. Researchers also analysed device-measured activity in a separate group of 96,570 participants. Over a median follow-up period of 14 years, 541 participants in the questionnaire group and 98 in the device-measured group developed ALS.
The findings add to ongoing research into the relationship between physical activity and ALS risk. Previous studies have produced mixed results, with some suggesting that strenuous exercise may increase ALS risk among certain groups of athletes, while others have found no clear association.
Device Measurements Show Lower ALS Risk
Researchers found that higher device-measured physical activity was associated with a 25 per cent lower risk of ALS for each standard deviation increase in activity.
Self-reported physical activity was also linked to a lower risk. Participants with high activity levels had a 23 per cent lower risk compared with those reporting low activity. However, this relationship was not linear, with the lowest risk observed among people with moderate activity levels.
The association appeared stronger in women and was mainly linked to moderate physical activity rather than vigorous exercise or walking.
What About People at Higher Genetic Risk?
Researchers also examined participants with genetic factors associated with ALS. The association between physical activity and lower ALS risk was similar among people with two copies of the C allele at the rs12608932 variant in the UNC13A gene.
Among carriers of C9ORF72 gene expansions, the results showed a similar direction but were not statistically significant.
More Research Needed
The findings suggest that physical activity may have benefits even for people with a higher genetic risk of ALS. However, researchers say further studies are needed to confirm the results and understand why device-measured and self-reported activity showed different patterns.
As an observational study, the research cannot prove that exercise directly prevents ALS. Nevertheless, it adds important evidence to the growing understanding of physical activity and neurological health.
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