Higher physical activity was associated with lower ALS risk in a UK Biobank study
Original source
Associations of self-reported and objectively measured physical activity and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Population inferred from the title and abstract by Compass.
Higher self-reported and device-measured physical activity were associated with a lower risk of later amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis. The association was strongest at mid-range self-reported activity, while device-measured activity showed a linear relationship. The study did not show that physical activity prevents ALS.
Why this matters
The findings may help researchers study how physical activity relates to ALS risk, including among people with some genetic risk factors. They do not establish that changing activity levels lowers an individual’s risk or change treatment for people living with ALS.
Limitations and context
This was an observational analysis of the UK Biobank, so it can show associations but not prove causation. It included 384,836 people with questionnaire data and 541 ALS diagnoses; the device-measured analysis included 96,570 people and 98 ALS events. The genetic subgroup analyses were smaller, and the study assessed risk of diagnosis rather than the effects of physical activity as a treatment.