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Three intense workouts a week could drastically delay Parkinson's symptoms, study finds

A strenuous workout three times a week dramatically slows the progress of Parkinson's disease, according to new research.

Regular high-intensity exercise reduces tremors, limb rigidity, slowness of movement and balance by 15 percent for at least six months, and maybe more, according to scientists from Northwestern University. 

Parkinson's patients have a shortage of dopamine - a neurochemical key to motor function and memory - which exercise encourages the brain to produce.

The findings are particularly important as experts warn that the disease is becoming increasingly common, with some even calling its spread a pandemic, especially among aging populations like that of the US.