Skip to main content

Some Recreational Activities Might Up Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Risk

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 27, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 26, 2024 -- Recreational activities — including golfing, gardening or yard work, woodworking and hunting — may be associated with an increased risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study published Feb. 15 in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

Stephen A. Goutman, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues surveyed 400 people with ALS and 287 healthy controls to understand risk associated with hobbies, exercise, and avocational exposures.

The researchers found that risks associated with ALS included golfing (odds ratio [OR], 3.48), recreational dancing (OR, 2.00), or gardening or yard work (OR, 1.71) five years prior to diagnosis. Additional exposures associated with risk included personal (OR, 1.76) or family (OR, 2.21) participation in woodworking, and personal participation in hunting and shooting (OR, 1.89). No exposures were associated with ALS survival and onset. Earlier onset age was associated with swimming (3.86 years) and weightlifting (3.83 years) five years before diagnosis. No recreational activities had significant associations with ALS for females.

"We know that occupational risk factors, like working in manufacturing and trade industries, are linked to an increased risk for ALS, and this adds to a growing literature that recreational activities may also represent important and possibly modifiable risk factors for this disease," Goutman said in a statement, although he cautioned it is too early advise that patients stop doing any of these activities.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted March 2024

Read this next

ALS Drug Relyvrio May Be Pulled From Market

MONDAY, March 11, 2024 -- Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced Friday that the controversial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug Relyvrio has failed to help patients in a large...

Experimental ALS Drug Will Not Be Approved

THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2023 -- An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday voted resoundingly against recommending a stem cell-based experimental...

Alpha-Linolenic Acid Levels Inversely Linked to Risk of Death in ALS

TUESDAY, June 27, 2023 -- Higher plasma levels of the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is associated with reduced risk of death in patients with...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.