High Intensity Exercise And Parkinson’s Disease: Can HIIT Help Reverse Neurodegeneration?

April 4, 2024

New study reports that high intensity exercise may be able to reverse Parkinson’s disease by helping dopaminergic system grow healthier

A new pilot study published in the Journal ‘npj Parkinson’s Disease‘ this February revealed that high intensity workouts can help reduce or reverse the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. How? The research says that, intense exercise has a positive and protective impact on our brain function. There have been many researches conducted on the same subject which suggested that exercise may have a link with this neurodegenerative disease. But, experts were unable to provide any hard hitting and conclusive results form those studies. However, this new study found that, exercise had an impact on dopamine-producing neurons. In Parkinson’s these dopamine-producing neurons are the most vulnerable and typically gets destroyed during the progression of the disease. But, exercise may be able to preserve them, say experts.

What Is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder which can impact the nervous system leading to a gradual shut of the body parts. Since, our body movements are controlled by our nerves, it starts to slow down when these nerves get impacted. The symptoms of Parkinson’s progress very slowly. In the initial stages it may not be noticeable at all. Typically it starts with tremors in the hand and then slowly progress into stiffness and slow movement.

What Results Did The Study Observe In Patients?

This study involved a small group of people as participants. It concluded that exercise not only has the power to reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s but also could have the potential to reverse the disease. The research observed that the patients who engage in intense physical exercise for at least six months, experienced healthier dopamine signals which grew stringer by the day. Dopamine is the chemical that is released in the brain which helps the cells communicate with each other efficiently. The more active the dopamine production is the better the brain function will be.

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Even previous researches have concluded that exercise only have had positive impacts on Parkinson’s patients. The research data shows that, participants who exercised three times a week for six months and had around 80% to 85% of their age-appropriate maximum heart rate experienced a significant reduction in their motor symptoms. These clinical trials prove that exercise certainly can modify diseases. Experts even say that exercise should be recommended just as strictly as doctors recommend medicines to patents.

This recent study published in ‘npj Parkinson’s Disease‘ used brain imaging to look at the increase in the neuromelanin and DAT signals in the substantia nigra. Through this, they observed the positive impacts of exercise and how it helped the dopaminergic system grow healthier.