Resistance Training Can Prevent or Delay Alzheimer’s Disease

• Resistance training may prevent or delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows.
• A study found that hormone levels associated with Alzheimer’s risk were lower in those who went through resistance training than those who did not.
• A neurodegenerative disease expert explains the findings.

Physical activity benefits abound—exercising can be good for your heart, muscles, and bones. Now, research shows that a specific type of workout could delay, or even prevent the development, of Alzheimer’s disease.

A study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience looked at how regular physical exercise, like resistance training, can affect hormone levels that heighten the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The purpose was to see if resistance training, and similar ways of exercising, can prevent or at least delay the appearance of symptoms, and serve as a simple and affordable therapy for Alzheimer’s patients.

Researchers conducted this experiment by looking at mice with a genetic mutation responsible for a buildup of beta-amyloid plaques, a kind of toxic protein, in the brain. This buildup damages brain cells and is a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease.

The mice were trained to climb a steep-incline ladder while loads were attached to their tails corresponding to 75%, 90%, and 100% of their body weight. The experiment mimicked typical resistance training you can see humans performing in the gym. After a four-week period of training, blood samples were taken to measure levels of corticosterone, the hormone in mice equivalent to cortisol in humans; for which rising levels in response to stress heighten the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Levels of the hormone were normal in the exercise-trained mice, meaning their levels were equal to those found in the control group consisting of mice without the genetic mutation. Analysis of their brain tissue also showed a decrease in the formation of beta-amyloid plaques.

“This confirms that physical activity can reverse neuropathological alterations that cause clinical symptoms of the disease,” said Henrique Correia Campos, first author of the article, in a press release.

The researchers also observed the mice’s behavior to assess their anxiety and found that resistance exercise reduced levels of restlessness and agitation to similar levels to the controls, said Deidiane Elisa Ribeiro, co-first author of the article and a researcher at IQ-USP’s Neuroscience Laboratory, said in a press release. Agitation, restlessness, and wandering are frequent early symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Resistance exercise is increasingly proving effective as a strategy to avoid the appearance of symptoms of Alzheimer’s or to delay their emergence in Alzheimer’s, said Beatriz Monteiro Longo, the last author of the article and a professor of neurophysiology at UNIFESP. “The main possible reason for this effectiveness is the anti-inflammatory action of resistance exercise.”

What is resistance training and how does it impact brain health?

Resistance training is strength training, bringing about an increase in muscle mass, says Dale Bredesen, M.D., neuroscience researcher and neurodegenerative disease expert. “This improves insulin sensitivity, which is important to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It also prevents the sarcopenia (muscle loss) that is often associated with aging.”

Additionally, resistance training may improve sleep, enhance muscle-related signals to the brain, reduce inflammation, and help to improve cardiac fitness, he adds.

How can resistance training lower the risk of Alzheimer’s or delay the onset of the disease?

Although this study looked at mice, not humans, it is compatible with what has been noted in humans, says Dr. Bredesen. “Through the multiple mechanisms listed above, it reduces the risk for cognitive decline.” Alzheimer’s is primarily driven by two factors: reduced energetics (like blood flow and oxygenation and increased inflammation, he explains. “Strength training helps to address both factors.”

The bottom line

Although this study did not look directly at humans, this research bolsters the idea that strength training can reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Dr. Bredesen says it’s more evidence that Alzheimer’s is not totally unavoidable.

Before you begin strength training, consult a physician prior to hitting the gym to make sure it’s right for you.

Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms. 

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