Muscle mass and bone density is naturally lost as seniors age, and these changes are often especially prevalent in elderly Houston women. In the medical practice where I work, we have forever been encouraging seniors to incorporate resistance training into their exercise routine under the premise that they could increase their strength, manage their bone density and gain muscle mass. According to a new study, however, one of these benefits is not present in senior women over the age of 80. Can you guess which one it is?

The answer is muscle mass. After putting senior women over the age of 80 through a resistance training program, MRIs were taken in order to see the overall effects upon muscle mass, and surprisingly there was no change. That doesn’t mean we’re about to stop encouraging resistance training, however, since there is still evidence that bone density can be improved, and there’s no doubting that overall strength will be benefited, and can help seniors to improve their activities of daily living and allow them to better care for themselves independently in older adulthood.

Sources:

1. Health Discovery Canada

Home Care Houston Southeast serving elders in the Bay Area; Clear Lake, Webster, Pasadena, League City, & Pearland - call (281) 484-0200.

Home Care Houston South Central serving seniors in Meyerland, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sugar Land, & Stafford - call 713-774-2215.

Home Care Houston Southwest serving aging adults in Katy, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fushear, Sugar Land, Stafford, Memorial City & Galleria areas - call 832 379-4700.

Home Care Houston Northwest serving older adults in Humble, Katy, Spring, Cypress, and Tomball - call 281-440-5160.