Physical exercise 'has positive results for individuals with Parkinson's'

A new study has claimed physical exercise can have a range of positive impacts on older adults who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The research, which was a report of a randomised clinical trial published by Archives of Neurology, has found treadmill, stretching and resistance exercises can improve gait speed, muscle strength and fitness for patients with Parkinson's.

Dr Lisa Shulman, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a randomised clinical trial of three types of physical exercise so they could compare the effectiveness of treadmill, stretching and resistance exercises.

"The effects of exercise were seen across all three exercise groups. The lower-intensity treadmill exercise resulted in the greatest improvement in gait speed," the report stated.

Dr David Elmenhorst, lead author of Caffeine Occupancy of Human Cerebral A1 Adenosine Receptors: In Vivo Quantification with F-18-CPFPX and PET, recently claimed caffeine is protective against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's.

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