- Exercise is known to improve cognition in older adults and reduce the risk of dementia.
- The mechanism behind this is not well understood and the majority of research is into the effect of aerobic exercise, designed to increase heart and breath rate.
- Researchers from Brazil have now looked at the impact of resistance training, such as using weights, on cognition in male mouse models.
Being physically active is already understood to be linked to improved bone and muscle health, reduced risk of disease and obesity, and improved brain health, according to the
Physical activity is linked with improved cognition in children, adolescents, and adults according to the
Exercise has been shown to improve cognition in older adults both in clinical trials and in reviews of the available evidence.
This may well be because exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect. In older adults, this could be due to the release of substances known as myokines, which are released from the muscles when they contract.
This means that the beneficial effects of exercise could also be seen with resistance training as well as aerobic exercise.
The relationship between cognitive health and resistance training was investigated by a team of Brazilian scientists affiliated with the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, and the University of São Paulo, Brazil, who looked at the impact of resistance exercise on male mice.
The results of this study appear in Frontiers of Science.
To carry out their study, researchers use a mouse model which had a mutation responsible for a buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. Beta-amyloid plaques are often associated with the development of dementia.
One group of mice with the mutation and a control group did no exercise, while a third group of mice, which did have the…
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