In a new study from the University of Sheffield, researchers found frequent strenuous exercise increases the risk of developing (MND) in certain people
The findings showed a causal link between exercise and MND.
Over recent years a number of professional sportsmen across the world have shared their experience of living with MND.
The condition is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease in North America in memory of a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees who developed the condition in his 30’s.
The lifetime risk of developing MND is approximately 1 in 400. Previous research has reported an estimated six-times increased risk of MND in professional football players compared to the general population.
The team says complex diseases such as MND are caused by an interaction between genetics and the environment.
This study confirms that in some people, frequent strenuous exercise leads to an increase in the risk of MND.
The team examined the link using three different approaches and each indicated that regular strenuous exercise is a risk factor associated with MND.
They found people who have a genetic make-up favoring strenuous physical activity have an increased risk of developing MND. But most people who undertake strenuous exercise do not develop motor neuron injury.
MND, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as it is also known, is a disorder that affects the nerves—motor neurones—in the brain and spinal cord that form the connection between the nervous system and muscles to enable movement of the body.
The messages from these nerves gradually stop reaching the muscles, leading them to weaken, stiffen and eventually waste. The progressive disease affects a person’s ability to walk, talk, use their arms and hands, eat and breathe.
Approximately 10 percent of MND cases are inherited, but the remaining 90% are caused by complex genetic and environmental interactions which are not well understood—this is known as sporadic MND.
The new research will have a strong impact on the global research effort to identify which individuals based on their genetics are at risk of MND.
In time it is hoped that this work will help medical professionals to be able to offer advice to family members of MND patients about the risks so they can make personal decisions about their exercise habits.
If you care about exercise and your health, please read studies about timing of exercise linked to heart disease risk in people with type 2 diabetes and findings of this small exercise may help you reduce high blood pressure.
For more information about exercise and wellness, please see recent studies about this walking exercise could keep older people fit and health and results showing that no pain, no gain in exercise for this common artery disease.
The study is published in EBioMedicine. One author of the study is Dr. Johnathan Cooper-Knock.
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