UC study correlates increased physical activity with slower Parkinson’s progression
Findings published in Neurology
Higher levels of physical activity were associated with slower declines in thinking and memory as well as slower worsening of movement symptoms for people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study published Oct. 7, 2026, in Neurology®, the official medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that more physical activity causes slower progression of the disease; it only shows an association between the two.
Dong-Woo Ryu, MD, PhD. Photo provided.
“Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes movement and cognitive problems that gradually worsen, leading to disability and a loss of independence,” said study author Dong-Woo Ryu, MD, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati and The Catholic University of Korea. “Previous research has shown associations between physical activity and movement symptoms. Our study found physical activity may have dual benefits, with associations with slower declines in movement and cognition.”
The study included 294 people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease with an average age of 66. They were followed for up to seven years as part of the Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program (CCBP), a large-scale longitudinal study designed to redefine the approach to patients living with neurodegenerative diseases by prioritizing biology over clinical symptoms.
Participants completed questionnaires about their physical activity, reporting weekly estimated hours of physical activity at work, at home and during hobbies or recreational activities. Moderate activity included brisk walking, doubles tennis, light swimming and household activities such as washing windows, vacuuming or mowing the lawn. Vigorous activity included jogging, fast bicycling, team sports and singles tennis as well as shoveling and carrying heavy loads.
Researchers measured total physical activity time, which included both moderate and vigorous exercise; total physical activity volume, a calculation of activity time and intensity, with greater weight given to vigorous activities; and vigorous physical activity time.
For total physical activity time, participants were divided into three groups. The low group had up to four hours per week of activity, the medium activity group had four to eight hours, and the high group had more than eight hours.
The possible benefits of physical activity for people with Parkinson’s disease may depend on how long they stay active and whether they continue exercising over time.
Dong-Woo Ryu, MD, PhD
Alberto Espay, MD. Photo/University of Cincinnati.
Participants were also given annual tests to measure their cognitive abilities and assess their Parkinson’s symptoms.
The cognitive test had a score range of zero to 30, with lower scores indicating worse thinking and memory. Researchers found the low group had an average estimated annual decrease in cognitive scores of 0.478, the medium group had a decrease of 0.090, and the high group had a decrease of just 0.007.
The Parkinson’s symptom assessment had a score range of zero to 132, with an average score of 23 at the start of the study. Higher scores indicated worse symptoms. For total physical activity, researchers found the low group had an average estimated annual score increase of 0.143, while the medium group had a decrease of 0.225, and the high group had a decrease of 0.783.
After adjusting for age, sex and disease duration, the high group showed slower cognitive decline and slower worsening of movement symptoms when compared with the low group.
Researchers found that higher numbers for all three activity measures were each associated with slower cognitive decline and slower worsening of movement symptoms.
“The possible benefits of physical activity for people with Parkinson’s disease may depend on how long they stay active and whether they continue exercising over time,” said Ryu. “While our study found small differences between activity levels, these differences may become more meaningful over time. Since participants generally had good thinking and memory skills at the start of the study, our results should be interpreted with caution, and further studies are needed.”
A limitation of the study was that physical activity was reported by participants, and some people may not have reported their activity accurately.
Study coauthor Alberto Espay, MD, said the structure of the CCBP allows the team to adapt and pursue questions it did not even originally set out to answer, including this physical activity research.
“Because participants have undergone standardized annual motor and cognitive evaluations and detailed assessments of physical activity, we could examine trajectories extending for up to seven years rather than taking a snapshot at a single point in time,” said Espay, James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Research Endowed Chair in UC’s College of Medicine. “This paper exists because hundreds of people agreed to keep coming back. That long-term partnership between participants and the research team is really the infrastructure behind longitudinal science.”
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The study was supported by a grant from the Gardner Family Foundation and the Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases Fund.
A version of this release was first published by the American Academy of Neurology.
Featured photo at top of a man playing tennis. Photo/adamkaz/iStock Photo.
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