Weight-bearing exercises may help minimize cognitive decline and impaired mobility in seniors concludes a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study is one of the first randomized controlled trials of progressively intensive resistance training in senior women aged 65 to 75 was by the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia.
12 months of once-weekly or twice-weekly resistance training improved executive cognitive function in senior women
Executive cognitive functions are cognitive abilities necessary for independent living.
"We were able to demonstrate that simple training with weights that seniors can easily handle improved ability to make accurate decisions quickly," Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, researcher at the Centre and assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC.
Also a researcher at the Brain Research Centre at UBC she “found that the exercises led to increased walking speed, a predictor of considerable reduction in mortality."
Previous research demonstrated that aerobic exercise, such as walking or swimming enhances brain and cognitive function. However, this does not help seniors with limited mobility.
Previously, there had been little research on the benefits of resistance training on cognitive function.
As Western populations are aging, cognitive decline is a major health issue and a key risk factor for falls and fall-related hip injuries.