Researchers say regular exercise can lower a woman’s risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But exercise can also be a double-edged sword for people living with (RA). On one hand, a certain degree of physical activity is encouraged for people dealing with the debilitating condition. On the other hand, many people with RA feel that most types of workouts are too difficult or painful given their symptoms. However, researchers in a study say exercise can be a preventive measure against the disease. The study concluded that women with a higher level of physical activity may have a reduced risk for eventually developing RA.
This was determined by first looking at their baseline level of physical activity in the two to eight years leading up to their RA diagnosis. The participants of the study were part of the Nurse’s Health Study II. It included information on 116,430 registered nurses in the United States. These nurses were 25 to 42 years old at the time of the study.
The researchers discovered there were 506 cases of RA during the follow-up period. After adjusting for diet, smoking, and BMI at age 18 years, they found that an increase in the average total hours of physical activity per week was associated with a lower risk of developing RA. The conclusion of the study showed the effects of physical activity on RA and the general importance of some daily physical activity for everyone. More active individuals had a 20 per cent lower risk for seropositive RA and a 14 per cent reduced risk for all forms of RA.
Researchers indicated that higher levels of physical activity and reduced excess weight were associated with reduced risk of RA. They also found that sitting for longer periods of time could be detrimental for RA symptoms.
