Associations of self-reported and objectively measured physical activity and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

Multiple studies have linked strenuous exercise to higher ALS risk in highly selected populations, such as specific athlete groups, but several population-based studies failed to find a positive association between physical activity and ALS risk, and some have even found an inverse association. Moreover, although intervention to prevent ALS is most feasible in carriers of ALS-associated genetic variants, only one study investigated the effect of physical activity on ALS risk in this group, using retrospective analysis in 17 C9ORF72 expansion carriers.

This study incorporates data from a large population-based prospective cohort of 384 836 individuals to add to a growing body of evidence that higher physical activity levels in the general population are associated with a lower risk of ALS. This study incorporates both subjectively reported and objective device measurements of physical activity in investigating...