Mentioned in my post on 6/18, Everydayhealth.com cited this review of research on their MS workout page. I wanted to come back to the article, as it addresses all available research that aims to answer the question of whether exercise can in some way reverse/improve the outlook of MS, or "have a disease-modifying effect," as they put it.
Here is the link once again: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3302199/
One nice aspect of this review is that if you hold your cursor over a mentioned article (link) a box pops up to give you the full citation. Usually, reading the title of the paper helps to give context to a long list of citations.
I will highlight their findings, which come from reviewing all relevant recent studies, evaluating their validity and findings:
"[The] authors suggested that fitness exerts a prophylactic influence on [gray and white brain matter] structural decline observed early on, preserving neuronal integrity in MS, thereby reducing long-term disability... (f)MRI studies suggesting a protective effect of cardiorespiratory fitness on brain function and structure in MS patients have started to emerge. However, the cross-sectional nature of the few existing studies limit conclusions regarding the existence of a causal relationship."
The positive effects of exercise on brain function have been well documented, and the authors relate these findings to MS. The quote above summarizes their conclusions that exercise has a positive effect on preventing gray and white brain matter decline normally experienced by persons with MS. However, their findings about exercise overall were less conclusive:
"Recent evidence from studies applying nonclinical and patient-reported measures as well as from studies applying the EAE animal model of MS indicate a possible disease-modifying effect of exercise (or physical activity) but the strength of the evidence limits definite conclusions. Furthermore, these findings are not confirmed in intervention studies evaluating disease progression by clinical outcome measures. Despite the obvious associated difficulties future long-term exercise intervention studies in a large group of MS patients are needed within this field."
Although there are many studies that analyze self-reported physical activity data and subjective measurements of functionality and quality of life, none of them have successfully determined if a change in physical activity level is causing a change in symptoms or simply correlated with them.The takeaway message from this review is that there is not sufficient scientific evidence to state that exercise can reverse or slow the effects of Multiple Sclerosis. However, there is no evidence to support a reduction in physical activity based on a diagnosis of MS, either. As has been stated by most resources in previous blog posts, choosing an exercise routine is a very personal process, one that may be guided by a physical therapist or physician for anyone who is unsure about their physical capabilities or who needs extra assistance.
The many benefits of physical activity, including better mental health, improved blood glucose uptake, more lean muscle mass, and a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, just to name a few, will still apply to persons with MS. Keep an eye out for expanding research that may one day show a definitive link between exercise and the progression of the disease.
For more general information about how exercise impacts your health, visit the CDC website:
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
Resource:
Dalgas, U., Stenager, E. (2012). Exercise and disease progression in multiple sclerosis: can exercise slow down the progression of multiple sclerosis? Ther Adv Neurol Disord; 5 (2) 81-95.
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