Weight training twice a week may protect against dementia
Adding twice-a-week strength training to your regular routine may help to gird the brain against the ravages of dementia, a new report suggests. After six months, older volunteers at high risk of dementia who practiced resistance training, the kind that builds strength and muscle, had better memory and thinking skills and less brain wasting than their peers who did not do strength-building exercises.
For the study, researchers in Brazil divided the participants into two groups. Half underwent a resistance exercise program that featured weight training sessions on workout machines twice a week. The sessions were somewhat rigorous, consisting of three sets of 10 repetitions involving 10 major muscle groups. Exercises were done at moderate to high intensity, with progressively higher weight loads at up to 80 percent of maximum capacity. The other half did not do any special extra exercise routines and served as controls.
Volunteers in both groups also underwent memory tests at the start of the study and again at the end, six months later. They also had MRI brain scans to look for changes in brain anatomy.
“The study showed that weight training is a strong ally against dementia, even for people who are already at high risk of developing it,” Dr. Ribeiro said. The findings were published in the journal GeroScience.
The exercise machines used in this study are commonly found in most gyms, providing a wide range of workouts for different muscle groups. Older adults with mobility challenges can adapt the exercises at home by incorporating resistance bands or light hand weights. Regardless of age, what’s good for the body can be good for the brain, a growing body of research shows.
