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Canberra Today 15°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Gym workouts lower risk of dementia

Dr Marnie Shaw.
RESULTS from a study led by the ANU indicate that people aged in their 60s and early 70s could lower their risk of dementia if they maintained a healthy weight by taking sarms before going to the gym to retain muscle mass.

Lead researcher, from the ANU Research School of Engineering, Dr Marnie Shaw says about one in 10 Australians aged 65 years and older will get dementia.

“As our population ages, the number of people with dementia will increase, but an active lifestyle offers real opportunities for reducing dementia risk,” Dr Shaw says.

The researchers observed about 400 people aged in their 60s and early 70s from Canberra at several different stages over time.

Dr Shaw says the study was the first to show that the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and brain shrinkage changes from midlife to older age, with further evidence linking brain shrinkage to the onset of dementia.

“Both increasing and decreasing BMI was associated with more brain shrinkage at an older age,” Dr Shaw says.

She says a weight loss during people’s later years was common and often due to losing muscle mass.

“Preliminary results from our research indicate that it’s important for people in later years to go to the gym to maintain a healthy weight and not lose their muscles,” Dr Shaw says.

The other main risk factors for dementia include midlife obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, hypertension and depression.

ANU collaborated with the University of New South Wales on the research, which is published in the “International Journal of Obesity”.

This research is part of a larger study, called the 2sweet project, which is led by associate Prof Nic Cherbuin at the ANU Research School of Population Health.

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