Parkinson’s incidence fell by a quarter among the former when physical activity was assessed up to 10 years before a diagnosis.
This observation was made after taking into account contributory factors such as residence, age of first period, menopausal status, and if they smoked.
Yet, the association remained when physical activity was assessed up to 15 or 20 years before diagnosis.
Lead author Dr Alexis Elbaz, of the Inserm Research Centre in Paris, commented on the research.
“Exercise is a low-cost way to improve health overall,” began Dr Elbaz.
“So, our study sought to determine if it may be linked to a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s, a debilitating disease that has no cure.”
Dr Elbaz added: “With our large study, not only did we find that female participants who exercise the most have a lower rate of developing Parkinson’s disease…
“We also showed that early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were unlikely to explain these findings.
“And, instead, that exercise is beneficial and may help delay or prevent this disease.
“Our results support the creation of exercise programs to help lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
Worldwide there are six million people living with Parkinson’s, including 145,000 in the UK.
The three main symptoms of the disease include tremors, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement.
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