Combination of strength training and aerobic exercise may improve cognitive ability in elderly people aged 85 and older

We know that exercise doesn't just improve your physical health, it can also improve your cognitive abilities and memory. A study conducted by a research team at the University of Florida in the United States showed that people who regularly engage in strength training and aerobic exercise have higher cognitive abilities, even among very old people between the ages of 85 and 99. .

Associations between physical exercise type, fluid intelligence, executive function, and processing speed in the oldest-old (85 +) | SpringerLink

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-023-00885-4

Aerobic and strength training exercise combined can be an elixir for better brain health in your 80s and 90s, new study finds
https://theconversation.com/aerobic-and-strength-training-exercise-combined-can-be-an-elixir-for-better-brain-health-in-your-80s-and-90s-new-study- finds-212433

In recent years, the world's population has been aging rapidly due to advances in medical care and improvements in nutritional status, and maintaining cognitive function in the elderly has become an urgent issue. Approximately 6 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease as of 2020, and that number is predicted to reach 14 million by 2060.

On the other hand, there are not many studies examining the effects of exercise on cognitive function, especially in elderly people over 85 years of age, who live a long time. A team of researchers from the University of Florida, the University of Miami, the University of Arizona, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined the exercise habits and performance of cognitive tasks in 184 cognitively healthy older adults aged 85 to 99. Ta.

The average age of the subjects was 88.49 years, and they were divided into ``sedentary group'', ``aerobic exercise group'', and ``aerobic exercise and strength training group'' based on their exercise habits. The subjects' cognitive abilities were evaluated using a tool called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment , which can measure a variety of cognitive abilities in a well-balanced manner.

The study found that the group that engaged in aerobic exercise and strength training had slightly but significantly higher cognitive function than the sedentary group. They also reported better performance on some cognitive tasks than the aerobic-only group.

Lead author Brian Ho and his colleagues said: ``While our study establishes a correlation between a combination of aerobic and resistance training and higher cognitive test scores, this study Although it should be noted that the study design did not allow for the determination of causality, the results of this study nevertheless demonstrate that a variety of exercise habits are associated with improved cognitive function in people in their late 80s and beyond. It suggests.”

In the future, the research team would like to answer questions such as what type of exercise is most effective for cognitive health, and how much exercise is necessary. He also argued that it is important to investigate whether exercise is effective as a treatment for neurocognitive disorders in the elderly.