An estimated 42% of Americans over age 55 are expected to develop dementia, according to the National Institutes of Health. However, there are ways to reduce risks – including hitting the gym.
In 2022, a study published in the JAMA Open Network journal found that poor handgrip strength in midlife was associated with cognitive decline in later years. This week, Jennifer A. Schrack, Ph.D., director at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center on Aging and Health, spoke to TODAY.com about the correlation.
“We use grip strength in studies because it’s easy to measure, whereas total body strength is much more difficult to measure,” Schrack said.
She explained that grip strength is actually a reflection of total body strength. Beyond even that 2022 study, Schrack said that body strength has been linked to overall cognitive function, including a 2019 study that also linked weaker grip strength with cognitive impairment.
In particular, grip strength (measured with a hand dynamometer) can also track how well the brain is communicating with the rest of the body.
Typically, muscle mass peaks between the ages of 30 and 35, meaning that strength and coordination will decline starting at that point. Lack of movement can also drive loss of muscle mass as people age.
That means that hitting the gym, or exercising in general, between the ages of 45 and 65 is a good way to potentially mitigate dementia risks. Strengthening exercises like chair stands, wall pushups and light dumbbells can help overall body strength, while stress balls and resistance bands can help target grip strength specifically, Schrack said.
Younger people who want to establish a grip strength routine can tackle more challenging exercises like dead hangs and the farmer’s carry, said Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., assistant professor of exercise science at New York Institute of Technology’s School of Health Professions, according to TODAY.com.
Last March, researchers from Duke University said that future dementia rates might be lower than expected. They said that a reduction in some risk factors, such as smoking and better control of hypertension, seem to be part of a decrease in dementia rates among younger cohorts compared to older ones. At the same time, risk factors like obesity and diabetes still pose a risk of increased dementia rates going forward.
“The dementia that is diagnosed at age 70 has its origins in our mid-life,” said Murali Doraiswamy, MBBS, FRCP, one of the Duke researchers. “There are about twenty major risk factors for dementia. It’s important for us to know our risks and manage them to lower the chances.”
