Sydney University. Australia: High intensity weight training is important for brains not just brawn
and could be prescribed in the fight against dementia according to new
research from the University of Sydney.
The landmark study
reveals that resistance training improves the mental abilities of older
people with mild cognitive impairment - a common precursor to dementia.
Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh,
a geriatrician from the Faculty of Health Sciences and the study's
chief investigator, said the research demonstrates the potential of
exercise to reduce dementia risk.
"We know weight training
stimulates hormones that make muscles grow and it's possible these
hormones are also having similar benefits for brain function," said
Professor Fiatarone Singh.
Participants in the study who
did six months of weight training showed significant improvements in
overall cognitive function, in particular with abilities related to
planning, organising and devising strategies, and visual memory. These
improvements were still present twelve months after supervised training
stopped.
"The next step is to see how long this lasts and who benefits most from such exercise," Professor Fiatarone Singh said.
The
researchers will follow the group for up to five years to see if they
were able to delay or even prevent the onset of dementia.
According to Professor Fiatarone Singh dementia is one of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare system globally.
"Current
predictions suggest 135 million people will be affected by dementia by
2050, but if a simple cost-effective exercise intervention can show this
much promise, I think further research could dramatically reduce that
number," she said.
One hundred people took part in the
study which compared the effects of weight training, computer-based
brain training, and a combination of the two for people over 60
experiencing the memory and processing deficits associated with mild
cognitive impairment.
Only the weight training group
improved on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale- Cognitive Subscale
test, a series of memory and brain function tests used to evaluate
cognitive health and the stages of Alzheimer's disease.
"The
number of participants in the weight lifting group scoring in the
normal range doubled in six months, but surprisingly those benefits
didn't carry over to the combined exercise and brain training group who
fared much worse," said Professor Fiatarone Singh.
"High
levels of stress hormones are known to compromise brain health, so it
could be that the combined physical and mental training program was too
stressful physically or mentally."
The study, undertaken by a consortium of Australian researchers, is published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Key facts about mild cognitive impairment and dementia
Mild cognitive impairment refers to people who are in the stage between normal cognitive function and dementia.
Mild
cognitive impairment increases the risk of dementia with individuals
progressing at rates up to 6-10 percent per year compared with 1-2
percent in the general population.
There are currently no effective drug treatments for mild cognitive impairment.
Dementia is projected to affect 135 million people globally by 2050.
Media enquiries:
Michelle Blowes, 0478 303 173, michelle.blowes@sydney.edu.au
Jessica Hill, 0407 926 077, j.hill@sydney.edu.au