Jason DeFreitas, Syracuse University – Strength Training May Improve Nerve Health and Slow Aging Process

Strength training may have additional benefits for slowing the aging process.

Jason DeFreitas, professor and department chair in exercise science at Syracuse University, explores.

Dr. DeFreitas is a professor and department chair in exercise science at Syracuse University. His lab’s research focuses on how the brain controls the body, and how that control system changes with aging and/or training. The lab is also trying to reduce fall risk in older adults through physical activity interventions and improved testing.

Strength Training May Improve Nerve Health and Slow Aging Process

Imagine you are walking while distracted, such as trying not to spill a cup of coffee. Suddenly, you have a slip or a trip, and whether or not you fall depends on how fast your body processes that sensory information and reacts; such as putting a hand out to a nearby wall, or an extra step to restore your balance. How fast that information is transmitted to the brain, processed, and then transmitted back to muscle to respond affects whether that slip or trip becomes a fall. Falls are especially dangerous in older adults as they can lead to hip fractures, head trauma, hospitalizations, and reduced quality of life. Unfortunately, as we age, that communication between our body and brain, known as nerve transmission, gets slower, which may make falls more likely.

A recent study from my lab, led by former PhD student Dr. JoCarol Shields, investigates whether anything can be done about the slowing of nerve transmission in older adults. We performed a clinical trial with strength training as an intervention for both young and older adults, which included groups that did not perform any training as controls. We found that after just 4 weeks, nerve transmission got significantly faster for the training groups. In fact, the older group started the study with about 10% slower nerve speed than the younger group, but regained most of that deficit back with strength training. Even more surprising was how robust the results were, with nearly 90% of our older adults showing improvements in their nerve speed with the training.

More work needs to be done still, but these findings join a large body of evidence supporting that exercise is medicine, and that strength training, especially, is a highly effective tool to combat the negative effects aging has on our body.

Read More:
Link to Research Article
OrangeNeuro – Neural Health Research Lab