EXERCISE MAY OFFER ‘PROFOUND’ BENEFITS FOR FRIEDREICH'S ATAXIA, RESEARCH SUGGESTS

UVA Today. University of Virginia, June 15, 2020 Josh Barney.

Yan, of UVA’s Departments of Medicine, Pharmacology and Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, and his colleagues have published their findings in Scientific Reports. Friedreich’s ataxia typically limits patients’ ability to exercise. But Zhen Yan’s findings suggest that well-timed exercise programs early in life may slow the progression of the disease, which robs patients of their ability to walk.
We conclude that endurance exercise training prevents symptomatic onset of FRDA [Friedreich’s ataxia] in mice associated with improved mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress,” the researchers report in a scientific paper on the findings. “These preclinical findings may pave the way for clinical studies of the impact of endurance exercise in FRDA patients.”