Research

Hormonal

Twice-weekly resistance training (52 weeks) significantly reduces cortical white matter atrophy and improves executive function in older women compared to balance-and-toning training.

For older women, engaging in twice-weekly progressive resistance training for a year can help preserve brain white matter and improve executive function. Focus on compound movements like squats and lunges, progressively increasing weight as you get stronger.

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Twice-weekly resistance training promoted memory (d = .45), reduced cortical white matter atrophy (d = .45), and increased peak muscle power (d = .27) at 2-year follow-up relative to balance-and-toning.
John R. Best et al. · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · 2015

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with long-term follow-up, though the MRI subset was small (n=83 baseline, n=28 at 2-year).

Source

Long-Term Effects of Resistance Exercise Training on Cognition and Brain Volume in Older Women: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

John R. Best et al. · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · 2015

DOI 10.1017/s1355617715000673

rct · n=155Cited 194×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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