Daily Steps May Reveal Early Parkinson’s Signs, Not Cause the Disease: Study
UK: A large population-based study published in npj Parkinson’s Disease suggests that lower daily step counts may reflect early manifestations of Parkinson’s disease (PD) rather than act as a contributing risk factor. The research, led by Aidan Acquah from the Big Data Institute at the University of Oxford, provides new clarity on the long-observed link between physical activity and the onset of PD.
The study analysed data from 94,696 adults enrolled in the UK Biobank who wore wrist accelerometers for up to a week between 2013 and 2015. Participants had a mean age of 62.3 years, and over half were women. Using validated machine-learning models, researchers derived daily step counts and tracked participants for a median of 7.9 years. During this follow-up period, 407 individuals were newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The study led to the following findings:
- There was a clear inverse relationship between daily step count and the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease.
- Individuals who walked more than 12,369 steps per day had a 59% lower risk of PD compared with those who walked fewer than 6,276 steps daily.
- Each additional 1,000 daily steps was associated with an 8% reduction in PD risk.
- The association between higher step counts and lower PD risk was strongest within the first two years after step monitoring.
- During this period, when 55 PD cases were recorded, higher daily step counts were linked to a significantly reduced risk (hazard ratio 0.83).
As the follow-up extended, the trend weakened. Beyond six years, the association between step count and PD incidence was no longer statistically significant. This suggests that the reduced activity seen in individuals who later developed PD may be due to subtle early motor or non-motor changes preceding clinical diagnosis, rather than low activity serving as a behavioural risk factor.
The authors noted that earlier studies often relied on self-reported physical activity, which is prone to bias and may inadequately capture the early effects of disease. By using objective accelerometer-based measurements and analysing the relationship over successive periods, the study provides stronger evidence that reverse causation plays an important role.
“This work supports the continued labelling of low physical activity as a marker for Parkinson’s disease, rather than as a risk factor leading to Parkinson’s disease,” the researchers stated.
Overall, the findings highlight the potential of daily movement metrics as early indicators of neurodegenerative disease. While walking more remains beneficial for overall health, the study underscores that declining activity levels may represent the earliest detectable changes in Parkinson’s disease—well before formal diagnosis.
Reference:
Acquah, A., Creagh, A., Hamy, V. et al. Daily steps are a predictor of, but perhaps not a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease: findings from the UK Biobank. npj Parkinsons Dis. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01214-6
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