Do physical exercise and reading reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease? a cross-sectional study on factors associated with Parkinson’s disease in elderly Chinese veterans

Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors for and factors protecting against Parkinson’s disease (PD) in elderly Chinese veterans.MethodsUsing a database containing detailed information on the health status of the nervous system in elderly Chinese veterans, univariate and multivariate analyses of factors that may be associated with PD were performed. Univariate analysis of qualitative data was done using the Pearson Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, and the Mann–Whitney U nonparametric test was used for univariate analysis of quantitative data. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for and factors protecting against PD in elderly Chinese veterans.ResultsA total of 9,676 elderly Chinese veterans were enrolled, including 228 cases with PD and 183 cases with Parkinson’s syndrome, with 9,265 non-PD subjects serving as controls. Age (odds ratio [OR] 1.343, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.028–1.755) and medical history of essential tremor (OR 1.228, 95% CI 1.081–1.396) were identified as independent risk factors for PD, with age being the most important risk factor. Physical exercise (OR 0.478, 95% CI 0.355–0.643) and reading (OR 0.513, 95% CI 0.357–0.735) were identified as independent factors protecting against PD, and physical exercise showed better protection against PD relative to reading. Smoking, alcohol use, anemia, cerebral trauma, education level, and electromagnetic field exposure showed no association with PD.ConclusionPhysical exercise and reading may be independent factors that protect against PD among elderly Chinese veterans, while advancing age and medical history of essential tremor may be independent risk factors for PD. This study was cross-sectional, so further research is needed to confirm its results.

Epidemiology of Parkinson's Disease—East Versus West

“…The association of physical activity and risk of PD has been recently investigated in two Eastern case‐control studies from China. A reduced PD risk was observed in both the studies …”

“…78,108 Case-control studies 2 case-control studies performed in China; both studies showed showed a reduced risk for PD (OR 0.20-0.48). 49,82 1 case-control study performed in the USA showed that physical activity was associated with reduced risk for PD: OR 0.50 to 0.64 depending on the age in which the person engaged in physical activity. 109 1 case-control study study performed in the USA showed that certain occupations associated with high physical activity was associated with reduced risk for PD.…”

Physical activity and exercise attenuate neuroinflammation in neurological diseases

“…This is not surprising, however, since PA stimulates the synthesis of DA and trophic factors, which promote neuroplasticity and inhibit apoptosis and inflammation, thereby delaying the progression of PD symptoms (Monteiro-Junior et al, 2015). In addition, epidemiological studies report that leading an active lifestyle reduces the risk of developing PD by approximately two fold (Zou et al, 2015).…”

“…Experimental and epidemiological studies have demonstrated that living a healthy and physically active lifestyle reduces the risk (Barnes and Yaffe, 2011;Scarmeas et al, 2009;Zou et al, 2015) and severity of neurological diseases (Archer and Kostrzewa, 2015;Canning et al, 2015;Erickson et al, 2012;Eyre and Baune, 2012;Frazzitta et al, 2015;Frazzitta et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2013;Radak et al, 2007;Radak et al, 2013;Suijo et al, 2013;Uc et al, 2014;Yu et al, 2014). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for these beneficial effects of PA have not been established.…”

Avaliação nutricional e o uso da levodopa com refeições proteicas em pacientes com doença de Parkinson do município de Macaé, Rio de Janeiro

“…1 It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, with an estimated prevalence of 3.3% in Brazil. 2 There are 17.4 cases per 100,000 people per year, while among people aged between 50 and 59 there are 93.1 cases per 100,000 people per year.…”