Another Reason to Exercise! Weight Training Promotes Independent Living

Last month, Canadians and people around the world were glued to their televisions to watch the Olympic Games in Vancouver! Hopefully now that the Games are over, we will all be newly motivated to turn off the TV, get up from the couch, and add more exercise to our own lives! As we've often stressed in Choices, physical activity is a vital part of healthy aging, benefiting seniors of every age and health status. ____________________

The study, published in the January 25, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, is one of the first randomized controlled trials of progressively intensive resistance training in senior women. Led by Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, researcher at the Centre and assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at University of British Columbia, the research team found that 12 months of once or twice-weekly weight training in senior women aged 65-75 improved executive cognitive function—the mental abilities necessary for independent living.

"We were able to demonstrate that simple training with weights improved participants' ability to make accurate decisions quickly," says Liu-Ambrose, who is also a researcher at the Brain Research Centre at UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health. "Additionally, we found that the exercises led to increased walking speed, a predictor of considerable reduction in mortality."

Previous studies have shown that aerobic exercise training, such as walking or swimming, enhances brain and cognitive function. However, seniors with limited mobility are largely unable to benefit from this type of exercise. Resistance training is an attractive alternative type of exercise for these individuals. But until now, the benefits of weight training in these areas have received little investigation. Liu-Ambrose is one of few researchers in Canada investigating the role of targeted resistance training in promoting mobility and cognitive health in seniors.

Cognitive decline among seniors is a pressing health care issue and it is a key risk factor for falls. For example, approximately 30% of seniors in British Columbia experience a fall each year, and fall-related hip fractures account for more than 4,000 injuries each year at a cost of $75 million to the health care system. As the number of seniors in the province is expected to increase by 220% by 2031, representing 23.5% of the population, effective strategies to prevent cognitive decline are essential to improve quality of life for seniors and to save the health care system millions in associated costs.

"At the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility we focus on research that will have a positive impact on the health of people in BC and Canada," says Heather McKay, Centre Director and professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. "Dr. Liu-Ambrose's research provides a clear illustration of relatively simple interventions with a profound and immediate impact on the mobility and quality of life of older adults."

Source: Centre for Hip Health and Mobility. Visit the Centre's website to read more about the study.