Exercise link to higher MND risk

Exercise could increase the risk of developing motor neurone disease (MND), research suggests.

People who are physically active are more likely to go on to suffer from the condition, with those who exercise vigorously at the greatest risk, according to a study published in the Journal Of Neurology Neurosurgery And Psychiatry.

However experts said a link between the two was not conclusive and stressed that exercise has been found to prevent many other diseases.

MND, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is an incurable neurodegenerative disease which attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, leading to progressive paralysis.

The researchers compared the lifestyles of 1,557 adults diagnosed with MND in their mid-60s in Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands with 2,922 people of a similar age without the condition.

Lifetime physical activity was associated with a 6 per cent increased risk of MND, with the link strongest in Italian and Irish participants, they found. Those who were the most physically active had a greater chance of developing the disease in later life.

“This is in line with reports that describe a higher prevalence of patients with ALS among former professional athletes,” the authors wrote.