Study confirms mental health benefits of weight training for older adults

Weight training can help reduce body fat and increase muscle strength and mass in older adults, contributing to functional autonomy and avoiding falls and injuries. Additionally, recent studies have shown that it may also benefit the mental health of older adults, especially those who suffer from anxiety and depression.

These benefits are confirmed by a study published in the journal Psychiatric research. The study included a systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 200 articles on the topic. The analysis was carried out by Paolo Cunha, a postdoctoral fellow on a FAPESP fellowship at the Jewish-Brazilian Albert Einstein Institute for Education and Research (IIEPAE) in São Paulo, Brazil.

“Resistance training has proven to be one of the most effective non-pharmacological strategies for healthy aging. It promotes a myriad of health benefits, including improvements in mental health,” Cunha said.

The results of the study are very promising, he continued. In addition to improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms in the general population, weight training appears to have a more significant effect on people with a confirmed diagnosis of an anxiety or depressive disorder.

“Epidemiological studies suggest that the decline in muscle strength and mass that occurs naturally with advancing age may be associated with an increase in mental health problems, given the existence of various physiological mechanisms that lead to functional and structural changes and which are controlled by the brain,” said Cunha.

Another important mental health benefit, he added, is that when weight training is done in a group, it promotes more social interaction between participants.

Recommended exercises

The investigation also identified the best ways to structure training to improve mental health. “The way in which the training is done seems to have an impact on the results achieved.” The information obtained so far suggests that older people should ideally do weight training three times a week, with three sets of each exercise and sessions that are not too long – six exercises would seem to be enough. Do it less, but do it well: a short set produces better results because we lack guidelines with specific recommendations for resistance training that focus on mental health parameters.

Although there are many possible ways to prescribe resistance training programs designed to improve the health, autonomy, and quality of life of older adults, most lead directly or indirectly to improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms, regardless of the intensity and volume of exercise involved. , according to Edilson Sirino, last author of the paper and principal investigator of the study. He is a professor at the State University of London (UEL) and co-ordinator of the Active Aging Longitudinal Study, a project launched in 2012 to analyze the impact of resistance training on health-related parameters in older women.

Another point observed by the researchers is that the use of exercise machines and free weights appears to be more beneficial for mental health than exercises that involve elastic bands or rhythmic gymnastics (using a person’s body weight), for example.

We don’t have statistics comparing the two types of exercise, but the analysis showed that resistance training with weights and other equipment is more effective at improving mental health in older people, largely because the intensity and volume of exercise can be more precisely controlled.”

Paolo Cunha, Postdoctoral Fellow, Albert Einstein Jewish-Brazilian Institute for Education and Research (IIEPAE), Sao Paulo, Brazil

In the paper, the researchers note that despite the undeniable mental health benefits of weight training, important gaps remain and need to be filled by further studies. “Generally speaking, most studies have involved small numbers of volunteers, which hinders the understanding of how the phenomenon occurs and the underlying mechanisms that explain it. This research area has expanded in recent years and there is plenty of room for further progress,” said Cunha.

Cunha is currently conducting a project in partnership with the Clinical Intervention and Cardiovascular Disease Research Group (GEPICARDIO) at the Brazilian Albert Einstein Hospital (HIAE) to analyze the impact of long periods of sedentary life on vascular and cognitive function in -the adults.