“The most important message I want to put out is; even if exercise might appear to be a risk because of the high-profile sports people that you’re hearing about, exercise itself has so many more benefits,”
MND or Motor Neurone Disease, is muscle wasting disease that attacks the nerves that control voluntary muscle movement.
Some of the most recent and well documented examples, include pro-athletes Lewis Moody and the late Rob Burrow.
These high-profile cases have helped raise awareness for the disease. Most prominently Rob Burrow, whose documentary, ‘Rob Burrow: Living with MND’ won documentary of the year at the 28th National Television Awards.
As both Moody and Burrow have a large sports presence, it can often lead others to believe that sports and athleticism can lead to MND. Despite studies conducted in 2005 and 2009, there is still no proof of this link.
Elite athlete, Lewis Moody, 47, recently publicly announced his diagnosis. The former England Captain says on X: “This has been incredibly hard to process and a huge shock to me and my family.”
Co-Director of the UK MND Research Institute, Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi, spoke about the nature of the disease, misconceptions and the development of the field.
While there is currently no cure for MND, Professor Al-Chalabi urges people not to avoid exercise for fear of MND.
“The most important message I want to put out is; even if exercise might appear to be a risk because of the high profile sports people that you’re hearing about, exercise itself has so many more benefits, that prevent so many more common diseases, like heart disease and stroke and cancer, that it’s much more important to exercise, even if it does increase your risk of Motor Neurone Disease and there is no evidence that it does.”
UK MND Research Institute: https://ukmndri.org
Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease: https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/leeds-motor-neurone-disease-mnd-care-centre/rob-burrow-centre-motor-neurone-disease-appeal