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 Among nearly 10,000 people in a long-term study, even those who
exercised less than the recommended 150 minutes per week had a lower
risk of glaucoma than those who were completely sedentary, the study
authors note in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and
Exercise.
"Glaucoma is one of the most common eye disorders and causes of
blindness, however, we don't know much about how to prevent it,"
said study coauthor Duck-chul Lee of Iowa State University in Ames.
In glaucoma, the optic nerve becomes thinned. Current treatments aim
to reduce intraocular, or inner-eye, pressure. Previous studies have
noted that physical activity lowers that pressure.
About half of Americans don't meet the national physical guidelines
of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity and two days
of resistance exercise each week, Lee noted.
"It is important to promote physical activity to prevent glaucoma in
addition to the benefits in preventing other chronic diseases such
as heart attack, diabetes and cancer," he said in an email.
The researchers analyzed data on 9,519 men and women at the Cooper
Clinic in Dallas, Texas, between 1987 and 2005. Study participants
had their weekly physical activity recorded and their cardiovascular
fitness was measured with a treadmill test.
Lee and colleagues found that 128 new cases of glaucoma occurred
during the average six-year follow-up period. People who met
physical activity guidelines had a 50 percent lower risk of glaucoma
than those who logged no leisure time physical activity during the
week. In addition, people with the highest cardiovascular fitness
results on the treadmill had a 40 percent lower risk of glaucoma
than those with the lowest fitness levels.
Being both physically active and highly fit was tied to the lowest
risk for glaucoma.
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"The magnitude of a 40-50 percent reduced risk of developing
glaucoma by being active and fit is surprising, (and) may be one of
the strongest factors in glaucoma prevention besides aging," Lee
said.
The study was not designed to determine whether or how exercise or
physical fitness may directly influence glaucoma risk. Another
limitation is that participants self-reported their activities, so
researchers can't be certain how much they actually exercised.
"At the same time, every little additional bit of physical activity
you do is beneficial," said Dr. Pradeep Ramulu, who directs the
glaucoma division of Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland,
and wasn't involved in the study.
"Patients want to know what types of exercise to do and how much to
do," he said in a phone interview. "The answer is probably that the
more you do, the better."
Physical activity could also help glaucoma patients with related
mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety, noted Dr.
Bonnie Choy of the University of Hong Kong who also wasn't involved
in the study.
"For those at high risk of glaucoma development, including a family
history, regular eye screenings to detect early disease and initiate
treatment is probably more important than only keeping fit," she
said by email.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2MmZq0a Medicine and Science in Sports and
Exercise, online July 6, 2018.
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