New research, published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin, has revealed that muscular strength, measured by handgrip, is an indication of how healthy our brains are.
Grip strength is significantly associated with cognitive functioning in the general population and individuals with schizophrenia, particularly for working memory and processing speed. Image credit: Sergej Kistner.
The new study — led by Dr. Joseph Firth, a research fellow at the Western Sydney University and a honorary research fellow at the University of Manchester — analyzed data from the UK Biobank (2007-2010), including 475,397 individuals from the general population and 1,162 individuals with schizophrenia.
The study showed that on average, stronger people performed better across every test of brain functioning used.
Tests included reaction speed, logical problem solving, and multiple different tests of memory. The relationships were consistently strong in both people aged under 55 and those aged over 55.
“When taking multiple factors into account such as age, gender, bodyweight and education, our study confirms that people who are stronger do indeed tend to have better functioning brains,” Dr. Firth said.
The study also showed that maximal handgrip was strongly correlated with both visual memory and reaction time in over one thousand people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.
“We can see there is a clear connection between muscular strength and brain health,” Dr. Firth noted.
“But really, what we need now, are more studies to test if we can actually make our brains healthier by doing things which make our muscles stronger — such as weight training.”
Previous research by Dr. Firth and co-authors has already found that aerobic exercise can improve brain health. However, the benefit of weight training on brain health has yet to be fully investigated.
“These sorts of novel interventions, such as weight training, could be particularly beneficial for people with mental health conditions,” Dr. Firth said.
“Our research has shown that the connections between muscular strength and brain functioning also exist in people experiencing schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder — all of which can interfere with regular brain functioning.”
“This raises the strong possibility that weight training exercises could actually improve both the physical and mental functioning of people with these conditions.”
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Joseph Firth et al. Grip Strength Is Associated With Cognitive Performance in Schizophrenia and the General Population: A UK Biobank Study of 476,559 Participants. Schizophrenia Bulletin, published online April 19, 2018; doi: 10.1093/schbul/sby034
