Scientists discover a surprising double benefit of exercise for Parkinson’s
A seven-year study found that people with Parkinson’s disease who were more physically active experienced slower declines in memory, thinking, and movement abilities. Those exercising more than eight hours per week showed almost no average cognitive decline, suggesting that staying active may offer important benefits as the disease progresses.
Key points
- A study of 294 adults with mild to moderate Parkinson's found more physical activity was linked to slower declines in memory and movement.
- The least active group's cognitive scores fell about 0.478 points yearly, versus 0.007 points in the most active group.
- Researchers stress the study shows an association, not proof that exercise directly slows Parkinson's progression.
People with Parkinson's disease who are more physically active may see slower declines in memory, thinking and movement, according to a study published October 7, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The research followed 294 adults with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, who were 66 years old on average, for up to seven years.
Researchers cautioned that the study found a connection between physical activity and slower symptom progression, not evidence that exercise directly causes the disease to progress more slowly.
How activity was measured
Participants completed questionnaires estimating weekly hours spent being physically active at work, around the home, and during hobbies or recreation. Activities were classified by intensity, from moderate tasks such as brisk walking and vacuuming to more demanding ones such as running and shoveling.
Based on total weekly activity time, participants were placed in three groups: up to four hours per week, four to eight hours, and more than eight hours. Each year they completed assessments of thinking and memory and tests of Parkinson's symptom severity.
Our study found physical activity may have dual benefits, with associations with slower declines in movement and cognition.
— Dong-Woo Ryu, MD, PhD
Differences in decline rates
On a 30-point test of thinking and memory, the least active group's scores fell by an estimated average of 0.478 points each year, compared with 0.090 points in the moderately active group and 0.007 points in the most active group. On a movement symptom scale scored from zero to 132, the least active group's scores rose by 0.143 points annually, while the moderately and most active groups saw decreases of 0.225 and 0.783 points per year.
The pattern held after accounting for age, sex and how long participants had lived with Parkinson's. Higher total activity time, greater overall activity volume and more vigorous exercise were each associated with slower deterioration in thinking and movement.
Caveats and funding
Study author Dong-Woo Ryu, MD, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, said the possible benefits may depend on how long people stay active and whether they keep exercising over time. He noted that participants generally had good thinking and memory skills at the start and that further studies are needed.
Physical activity levels were based on participants' own reports rather than direct measurements, a limitation the researchers identified. Funding came from the Gardner Family Foundation and the Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases Fund.
