Exercise May Reduce Men’s Risk of Epilepsy

Vigorous exercise in young adulthood may reduce the risk of developing epilepsy for men later in life, Swedish researchers suggest. Their study is the first in humans to show that exercise may reduce the risk of epilepsy. “I hope it will encourage others to start looking at the effects of cardiovascular fitness on the frequency and intensity of seizures,” said study author Elinor Ben-Menachem, PhD, MD, a professor of neurology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. “In animal studies, this is definitely a method to reduce seizures.”

The researchers examined data from 1.17 million Swedish men (born in 1950-1987) who were given stress tests that measured cardiovascular fitness on a bicycle when they enlisted for mandatory military service at age 18. They assessed for epilepsy in the participants for an average of 25 years—6,796 men were diagnosed with the seizure disorder during follow-up.

Men who had a high level of fitness were 79% less likely to develop epilepsy than those with low fitness levels, and 36% less likely to develop epilepsy than those with medium fitness levels. “We did not look at different types of sports, but I would imagine that any sport that increases cardiovascular fitness, such as running, soccer, bicycling, etc., would be appropriate,” Dr Ben-Menachem said.

While the researchers are not quite sure of the specific mechanism at work here, they theorize that exercise may influence epilepsy risk by protecting the brain and creating a stronger brain reserve. Or, it could be that individuals who are fit early in life have a higher likelihood of being fit later in life, thus affecting disease risk.

Dr Ben-Menachem notes that none of the young men in Sweden at the time that this data was collected approached the obesity levels that are seen in the US or even in Sweden today. She suggests that with the rise in obesity, the risk of epilepsy and perhaps other diseases, such as depression, will also increase. “That is why this is a public health message,” she said. “Our children should not be sitting around playing games all day—physical education in the schools is vital for the future health of the population.”

―Colleen Mullarkey

Reference

Nyberg J, Aberg MAI, Toren K, Nilsson M, Ben-Menachem E, Kuhn HG. Cardiovascular fitness and later risk of epilepsy: a Swedish population-based cohort study. Neurology. 2013; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182a4a4c0.