Strength Training Can Limit the Effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia in Women

Stronger Body. Sharper Mind. Longer Life.

We often think of strength training as a way to build muscle, boost metabolism, and maintain independence as we age. But research is revealing a far deeper benefit. Lifting weights may also protect your brain.

For women, in particular, strength training can limit the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, two conditions that affect millions worldwide. Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s, and the risk increases sharply after menopause. But emerging research is proving that what benefits your muscles also benefits your mind.

In fact, studies led by Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose at the University of British Columbia and others show that even two sessions of resistance training per week can improve brain structure, preserve memory, and slow cognitive decline in older women, including those already diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

This post breaks down, in plain language, how strength training supports your brain, why it’s especially crucial for women, and how you can start using it as your most powerful tool for long-term brain health and longevity.

How Strength Training Can Limit the Effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia in Women

1. Strength Training Builds a Stronger Brain

Just like muscles adapt and grow in response to resistance, your brain does, too. Research shows that strength training can increase both gray and white matter, two critical types of brain tissue.

• Gray matter handles memory, movement, and emotion.

• White matter connects brain regions, allowing fast communication.

A 2025 study published in Nature Aging found that women with mild cognitive impairment who performed resistance training twice per week for six months had significantly less white matter degradation, a key biomarker of Alzheimer’s progression. That means their brains were physically aging more slowly.

Strength training also stimulates blood flow and oxygen to the brain, delivering essential nutrients while clearing waste products that can damage neurons.

The result? A healthier, more resilient brain.

2. It Improves Cognitive Reserve

Think of cognitive reserve as your brain’s “backup system.” It’s the brain’s ability to compensate for damage caused by aging or disease. People with higher cognitive reserve can experience the same brain changes as others but show fewer symptoms of memory loss or confusion.

Strength training enhances this reserve by promoting new neural connections and protecting existing ones. When you lift, your brain adapts to coordinate movement, balance, and control, literally rewiring itself for efficiency.

Studies show that women who engage in strength training regularly perform better on tests of attention, problem-solving, and multitasking, all signs of a strong cognitive reserve.

3. Strength Training Enhances Neuroplasticity

Your brain’s ability to grow and adapt, called neuroplasticity, is key to learning, memory, and recovery from injury. Resistance training boosts neuroplasticity by stimulating the release of myokines, powerful signaling molecules produced by contracting muscles.

One of the most important myokines is irisin, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and encourages the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF acts like fertilizer for your brain cells, it helps them grow, connect, and resist damage.

This muscle-brain connection is so strong that some researchers call skeletal muscle a “neuroendocrine organ.” Every rep you perform sends biochemical messages that tell your brain to adapt, heal, and thrive.

4. It Boosts Executive Function

Executive functions, planning, organizing, decision-making, and emotional regulation, often decline with age and are early casualties of dementia.

Multiple studies in women aged 65 to 75 have found that twice-weekly resistance training sessions significantly improve executive function and attention compared to stretching or balance exercises.

This isn’t just theory, you can see it in daily life. Women who lift weights report clearer thinking, improved concentration, and fewer “senior moments.” The link between muscle strength and mental sharpness is that strong muscles demand strong neural connections.

5. It Reduces Inflammation

Chronic inflammation plays a central role in Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Strength training combats inflammation by lowering pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti-inflammatory immune signaling.

In simple terms, lifting weights teaches your body to handle stress better. Your immune system becomes more efficient, reducing unnecessary inflammation that damages brain tissue.

Combined with quality sleep, hydration, and whole-food nutrition, resistance training creates an anti-inflammatory environment that protects your brain for the long haul.

6. It Reduces Amyloid Plaques

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of amyloid-beta plaques, sticky protein clumps that interfere with brain cell communication.

Animal studies have shown that consistent resistance training reduces amyloid accumulation and promotes the clearance of these toxic proteins from the brain. While human studies are still ongoing, early evidence suggests that exercise-induced increases in BDNF and irisin may help limit amyloid buildup, offering another pathway to protection.

7. It Improves Metabolic Health

Alzheimer’s is often referred to as “type 3 diabetes” because insulin resistance in the brain disrupts energy metabolism and accelerates cognitive decline.

Strength training is one of the most effective tools for improving insulin sensitivity and regulating blood sugar. When your muscles become more metabolically active, they draw glucose out of the bloodstream more efficiently, stabilizing energy levels and reducing metabolic stress on the brain.

Women who lift not only improve muscle tone, they also protect their brain’s ability to use energy effectively.

8. It Increases Neuroprotective Hormones

Each time you lift, your muscles release a cocktail of neuroprotective hormones, including:

• BDNF: Promotes brain cell growth and repair

• Irisin: Enhances communication between muscles and brain

• IGF-1: Supports brain plasticity and cognitive performance

These hormones work together to protect your brain from oxidative stress and cell death, two major drivers of neurodegeneration. They essentially act as a built-in defense system for your aging brain.

9. It Combats Age-Related Muscle Loss (Sarcopenia)

Sarcopenia—the gradual loss of muscle mass with age, doesn’t just weaken your body. It also affects brain metabolism and blood flow.

Research links low muscle mass with higher rates of cognitive decline. The less active your muscles are, the fewer beneficial myokines your body releases. Strength training directly interrupts this process, rebuilding muscle and restoring the biochemical communication between your muscles and brain.

For women over 50, this is crucial. Lifting weights helps maintain both physical strength and mental clarity, two cornerstones of longevity.

10. It Improves Daily Function and Reduces Risk of Falls

One often-overlooked benefit of strength training is its ability to improve coordination, balance, and confidence in daily movement.

Falls and head injuries are a major risk factor for cognitive decline, especially in older adults.

By strengthening the legs, hips, and core, resistance training reduces that risk significantly. Maintaining strength in these key areas also supports independence, an essential part of both healthspan and brain health.

11. Strength Training: The Ultimate Non-Pharmacological Approach

There’s no pill that can match what strength training does for your brain. Unlike medications that “force” changes in the nervous system, lifting weights trains your brain to perform better naturally.

Cognitive training (like brain games) can help, but studies show that physical training, especially strength-based exercise, produces greater improvements in memory and attention. The combination of muscle activation, cardiovascular engagement, and hormonal response makes it a powerful, side-effect-free therapy for brain protection.

How To Get Started

You don’t have to become a bodybuilder to get the benefits. Even small, consistent efforts matter.

• Start with 2 days per week. Focus on full-body movements like squats, deadlifts, rows, and presses.

• Use resistance bands, dumbbells, or bodyweight. You don’t need a gym to build strength.

• Progress gradually. The goal is consistent challenge, not exhaustion.

• Pair strength training with good sleep, hydration, and nutrition to amplify results.

If you’re new to resistance training or want a program designed around your goals, seek

professional guidance.

Ready to build strength that protects both your body and your brain?

Join my Online Fitness and Longevity Coaching Program, where I’ll design a personalized plan to help you gain muscle, balance hormones, and protect your brain for the long run.

Coach JB