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Boosting muscle strength may boost brain function in people with mild memory and thinking problems, a new study finds.
Long-lasting benefits
The research included 100 people aged 55 to 86. All had mild memory and thinking problems (mild cognitive impairment).
The study volunteers who did weight training twice a week for six months to at least 80 percent of their maximum strength showed significant improvements in mental function.
The benefits lasted for at least a year after their supervised weight-lifting sessions ended, the study showed.
Read: Weightlifting for seniors
The results were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
"What we found in this follow-up study is that the improvement in cognition [mental] function was related to their muscle strength gains," said study lead author Yorgi Mavros, of the faculty of health sciences at the University of Sydney, Australia.
Healthier ageing population
"The stronger people became, the greater the benefit for their brain," Mavros added in a university news release.
The findings could help guide the type and intensity of exercise recommended for ageing adults, the researchers said.
"The more we can get people doing resistance training like weight lifting, the more likely we are to have a healthier ageing population," Mavros said.
"The key, however, is to make sure you are doing it frequently, at least twice a week, and at a high intensity so that you are maximising your strength gains. This will give you the maximum benefit for your brain," Mavros explained.
Read more:
Strength training boosts senior brains
Strength training great if done correctly
