Every 3 seconds, someone somewhere develops dementia. Anyone who has had a loved one experience dementia knows firsthand how sad it can be to watch one of their favorite people suffer from the condition. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for it.
Researchers estimate that as of 2020, 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, with that number expected to increase to 78 million people by 2030. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a general clinical term for a decline in a person’s mental ability ‘severe enough to interfere with daily life,’ while Alzheimer’s is a specific disease.
A team of academic and health researchers based in Brazil and the United States recently collaborated on a study examining resistance training, brain aging, and Alzheimer’s disease. The results of their study were published in the academic journal GeroScience.
“This study aimed to investigate the effects of resistance training (RT) on cognition and brain anatomy in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).” the researchers stated about the aim of their study.
“Forty-four older adults with MCI, 22 in the training group and 22 in the control group, were evaluated in neuropsychological tests and magnetic resonance imaging at the beginning and end of the study, which lasted 24 weeks. We used repeated measures ANOVA.” the researchers stated about their study’s methodology.
“The training group showed better performance in verbal episodic memory after intervention. The control group showed a decrease in gray matter volume in the hippocampus and precuneus, while the training group showed no reduction in the right hippocampus and precuneus.” the researchers stated about their findings.
“RT improves memory performance, positively influences white matter integrity parameters, and plays a protective role against atrophy of the hippocampus and precuneus in MCI.” the study’s authors concluded.
Resistance training doesn’t have to involve lifting heavy weights in a gym. People can do it at home with a light pair of dumbbells and/or resistance cables and bands. The late-great fitness guru Richard Simmons would encourage people to use a couple of cans of food to add some resistance to various movements.
Bodyweight exercises are also a great option to consider and don’t require any equipment, although all resistance training involving older individuals must make safety a priority at all times.
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