ALS Research Study: Why Are Athletes Prone to Lou Gehrig's Disease?

Lou Gehrig was only 38 when he died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He died 70 years ago from a disease that was then named after him (Lou Gehrig's disease). After all of these years, we still don't know what causes ALS in 90-95 percent of persons diagnosed with this debilitating neurological disorder. We do know that in 5-10 percent of ALS sufferers, an inherited defective gene (familial ALS or fALS) is the cause. But what about the remaining majority?

Exercise Equals ALS?
Why does it seem that athletes are more prone to developing ALS? Why are men in the military more susceptible to ALS? There are a lot of questions with very few answers. It's difficult to study a disease that usually results in death within 2-5 years of onset. Current research is focusing on medications (lithium and riluzule) that may be effective in treating ALS.

Research published in 2004 sought to answer whether or not vigorous exercise could promote the onset or the progression of muscle degeneration in ALS. Mice were the subjects of the study. They were bred to have the mutant gene that causes ALS. They were then programmed to be either very active or to be sedentary. A control group was also observed.

The results indicated that prolonged, vigorous exercise did not bring onset of ALS sooner or make the disease advance more rapidly. In fact, the mice that had extensive exercise lived 4½ to 6½ days longer. This was not, however, statistically significant. Bottom line: extensive exercise probably doesn't bring on ALS sooner or advance muscle degeneration. We don't know if this study can be applied to the other 90-95 percent of cases.

ALS Diagnosis
If you have been diagnosed with ALS, the current recommendation is to rely on your physician and your physical therapist to decide how much and what type of exercise is best for you. Regular exercise—especially stretching—is important. If you have any neurological diagnosis, the general rule is that you don't exercise to the point of fatigue or pain.

For further information, refer to: "Extensive exercise is not harmful in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," Liebantz, D; Hagermann, K; von Lewinski, F; Kahler, E; Paulus, W; European Journal of Neuroscience, Volume 20, Issue 11, Sept. 2004.

See Related Articles
For more information about ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) see, Diagnosis of ALS.

See ALS Patients Choose Between Motorized and Manual Wheelchairs for more information about finding the right type of wheelchair for you.