Muscle Strength Decreases Increase Alzheimer’s Chance

As muscle strength decreases, chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases, according to research by Rush University Medical Center.

970 adults with an average age of 80 engaged in a series of strength and cognition tests. The subjects’ strength was rated in units, and ranged from -1.6 to 3.3. For each one-unit increase in strength measured at the beginning of the study, researchers found a corresponding 43% decrease in the likelihood of that subject developing Alzheimer’s over the course of the roughly 3.6 year follow-up period. The strongest 10% were 61% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the weakest 10%, according to the report.

The report appears in the November issue of the journal Archives of Neurology.

I lift weights 3x a week. So I am hopeful. You should start lifting if you don’t already.