Lifting weights can slow down biological brain aging in older adults

Key Points:

• A new study published in GeroScience found that regular resistance training in older adults can slow biological brain aging by 1.4 to 2.3 years, with benefits maintained after two years.
• The research used brain clocks, computational models analyzing brain scans, to measure overall brain health rather than isolated brain regions, revealing widespread improvements in brain connectivity, especially in the prefrontal cortex.
• Both moderate and heavy resistance training groups showed reduced brain age, while a non-exercise control group showed no significant changes, indicating that even moderate exercise provides substantial cognitive benefits.
• The anti-aging effects of resistance training were global across brain networks, suggesting systemic mechanisms such as vascular and metabolic improvements rather than changes limited to specific brain areas.
• Limitations include the study’s focus on healthy older adults from a high-income European country, and researchers emphasize that brain age is a probabilistic biomarker reflecting brain resilience, not a literal reversal of aging.