Researchers at the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) have found that a high level of physical activity over a long period of time can reduce the risk of cataracts in old age. This discovery is reported in the latest issue of the journal Ophthalmology.

Dr. Jinjin Zheng Selin, a researcher at the Department of Dietetics and Epidemiology of the Institute of Environmental Medicine, conducted an analysis of physical activity and cataract incidence in two large cohorts that included a total of 52,660 men and women aged 45-83 years.

All survey participants completed questionnaires indicating the level of activity. During the 12-year follow-up period, 11 580 cases of cataracts.

The analysis showed that participants in the upper quartile have a 13% lower risk of developing cataracts compared to participants in the lower quartile, even after the introduction of dietary factors, intake of antioxidants, and alcohol consumption (odds ratio 0.87; 95 % CI 0.83-0.92).

Moreover, a constantly increased level of physical activity from the age of 30 and at the time of the start of the study (mean age 59.4 years) is associated with a reduction in the risk of cataracts by as much as 24% (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.69-0, 85).

Participants responded to six questions about physical activity. In particular, the researchers included questions about walking and cycling, leisure time activities, the characteristics of professional activities, work on the household.

It turned out that walking or cycling for more than 60 minutes every day is associated with a 12% reduction in the risk of cataracts, and the occupation associated with constant movement and manual labor reduces the risk of disease by 16%.

People who spend more than 6 hours a day without movement, in the future, suffer from cataracts 27% more often than those who do not sit longer than an hour a day. It is interesting that there was no connection between work on the farm and the risk of cataracts: scientists say that this can be explained by different understandings of this work by the participants themselves.

What can explain the protective effect of physical activity? Researchers offer several possible hypotheses, including reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity and normalizing the lipid profile, and generally a healthier lifestyle.

medbe. en.