Excessive exercise linked to motor neurone disease
Sports people could be 26% more likely to suffer from condition, study suggests
INTENSE exercise may significantly increase the risk of developing motor neurone disease (MND), new research suggests.
People who are the most physically active, such as athletes and footballers, could be as much as 26 per cent more likely to go on to suffer from the devastating condition.
Celtic and Scotland legend Jimmy Johnstone died from the disease in 2006, while former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen and former Scotland rugby star Doddie Weir also suffer from the condition.
The study, published in the Journal Of Neurology, Neurosurgery And Psychiatry, found that those whose work involves hard, regular exercise, are most at risk – giving credence to concerns sportsmen and women are particularly vulnerable.
The report states: “This is in line with reports that describe a higher prevalence of patients with MND among former professional athletes.”
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 condition affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK.
The researchers compared the lifestyles of 1,557 adults diagnosed with MND in their mid-60s with 2,922 people of a similar age without the condition.
They found that while sports stars had a higher chance of increased risk, that risk drops significantly to 6% for keep-fit fans who work out regularly in their leisure time.
While exercise is unlikely to be the main factor leading to the development of MND, the researchers said it could be important in those genetically predisposed to the disease.
They wrote: “Overall, physical activity has been demonstrated to be protective against many diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a variety of cancers.
“Decreasing the risk of these common conditions may be a tradeoff with increasing the risk of a relatively rare disease such as ALS.”
Professor Tara Spires-jones, from the University of Edinburgh, said the study did not prove physical activity causes MND and that other factors that increase with physical activity levels could be the cause of the risk. She said: “It is important to keep in mind that ALS is a relatively rare disease affecting around two in every 100,000 people and that physical activity protects us from much more common diseases including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes and cancer, which together affect more than 10 million people in the UK today.”
Nick Cole, head of research at the Motor Neurone Disease Association, said the link between exercise and the development of the condition “is a very subtle one”.
He said: “Put in context, it is a small increased risk and one of multiple factors, from genetic to environmental, likely to be needed in a combination to develop MND.
“Given that exercise has been shown to offer significant protection against many diseases it would not be advisable to adopt a sedentary lifestyle in order to avoid a very small increased risk of developing MND.”