Strong Muscles, Sharp Mind

Because the loss of muscle strength is common and is associated with various health problems in old age, Patricia A. Boyle and her colleagues at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Illinois studied more than 900 people. The subjects’ average age was 80, and they were without dementia at the study’s start. The researchers measured the subjects’ strength in nine muscle groups in the arms, legs and axial muscles.

During the follow-up period, which averaged 3.6 years, 138 persons developed Alzheimer’s. After adjusting for confounding factors, the team found that muscle strength strongly influenced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: Subjects who ranked in the top 10 percent for muscle strength were 61 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the weakest 10 percent.

Physically stronger participants also showed a slower decline in their mental abilities over time. Additionally, the relationship between muscle strength and mild mental difficulties, which occurred in an additional 275 people, was similar, with the strongest 10 percent being at 48 percent lower risk than the weakest 10 percent.

“These findings suggest a link between muscle strength, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline in older persons,” the researchers stated. They posit that there is something going on in the body that causes both muscle weakness and loss of mental ability.

—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net

Boyle, P.A., et al. (2009). Association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease and the rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older persons. Arch Neurol. 66:1339-1344.

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