|
Strength
Training Pumps Up Seniors
Lifting weights and other kinds of strength
training help older adults fight the loss of muscle mass and strength,
and the resulting physical disability and frailty.
But it's not clear whether strength
training helps keep older adults healthier and alive longer, says
a study in a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine.
A Tufts University researcher reviewed
17 studies about strength training in older adults and found some
definite blessings.
"The benefits of strength
training include increased muscle and bone mass, muscle strength,
flexibility, dynamic balance, self-confidence and self-esteem,"
says Miriam E. Nelson, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and
Policy at Tufts, says in a prepared statement.
"Strength training also helps
reduce the symptoms of various chronic diseases such as arthritis,
depression, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, sleep disorders and
heart disease and, when combined with balance training, reduces
falls," Nelson says.
But her study says there's no clear
evidence on whether the benefits of strength training can actually
delay the onset of disability, or on how such training helps avert
chronic diseases or their symptoms in older adults.
She also notes questions remain
about appropriate frequency and intensity of strength training
for older adults. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends
two to three days a week of strength training, a schedule that
Nelson says is appropriate for the elderly.
"The key challenges as this
field of exercise science moves forward are to best identify the
most appropriate strength-training recommendations for older adults
and to greatly increase the access to safe and effective programs
in a variety of settings," Nelson says.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about weight
training
Here's where you can learn more
about exercise
for seniors.
Reference
Source 101
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
|
