Ever since the latest ice bucket challenge trend, ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) has been all over the news. The attention has also awaken a prolonged scientific debate about whether exercise or pesticides might somehow contribute to the development of the fatal neurodegenerative disease.
Ever since the great Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig died of ALS in 1941 at age 37, many Americans have vaguely connected A.L.S. with athletes and sports. However, it remains unclear whether exercise is indeed a risk factor and what types of exercise may be of concern. In Europe, the possible connection to sports has been more popularly discussed. In the past decade, a few widely publicized studies indicated that professional Italian soccer players were disproportionately prone to ALS. But these studies were extremely small and had methodological problems. So to better determine what role sports and exercise might play in the risk for A.L.S., major new studies would have to be combined.
One idea that researchers offer is that soldiers on active duty are engaged in strenuous physical labor. Or, they are exposed to toxins which could play a role in ALS. The Association is helping to fund an effort by the Veterans Administration to collect information about veterans diagnosed with ALS, to shed light on possible environmental factors associated with the disease. This VA registry will also serve as a stepping stone to clinical trials. Both possibilities, of toxin exposure or the influence of intense exertion, are advanced when researchers consider the finding that Italian soccer players appear to have increased incidence of ALS.
For now, he and other scientists are continuing to study Italian soccer players, as well as athletes in other sports, including rugby, which, for some reason, confers no increased risk of A.L.S., although it involves considerable contact. Such research may ultimately shed some light on the underlying mechanisms of the disease, which are still poorly understood.
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