My first exposure to seeing older adults strength train was a program on NOVA. They followed researchers from Tufts University as they trained frail elderly in a nursing home. In a few short weeks some of the residents quit using canes or walkers. I still think about that program on a regular basis.
We could improve the quality of many lives while saving a ton of money by having older adults work on their strength and power levels. Power is the key because older adults lose even more power than they do strength. Power should only be developed after a basic level of strength has been attained.
We could improve the quality of many lives while saving a ton of money by having older adults work on their strength and power levels. Power is the key because older adults lose even more power than they do strength. Power should only be developed after a basic level of strength has been attained.
The following article is from Tuft's University:
Our
laboratory at Tufts University just published a very important study in the
December issue of Diabetes Care regarding strength training and type 2
diabetes. Dr. Carmen Castaneda, a close colleague of mine, led the research
endeavor. Sixty-two older men and women were randomized into either a
strength-training program or a "usual care" control group. After
sixteen weeks, the men and women in the strength-training group experienced
significant improvements in glucose control, had reductions in blood pressure,
became stronger, gained muscle, and lost body fat. In addition, most of the
volunteers in the strength-training group were able to reduce their intake of
diabetes medications. The results were even better than we anticipated!
There are a couple of interesting elements to this study. All of the volunteers were Hispanic and none of them had done anything like this before. Despite the novelty of the exercise, they all did very well and most of them really enjoyed the exercise. The reason to study Hispanic older adults was driven by the fact that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Hispanics is double that of Caucasians. Additional research from Australia shows us that the findings are also applicable to the general population.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called diabetes "the epidemic of our time." Today, there are 16 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, a 700 percent increase from 1960. In addition, there are another 16 million people who are pre-diabetic. Forty years ago, when type 2 diabetes (which constitutes over 90 percent of all cases) was called "maturity-onset" diabetes, it was considered a disease that appeared in the elderly. Times have changed. Now even adolescents get type 2 diabetes! The reasons for the dramatic increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes are the increase in obesity along with poor nutrition and inadequate exercise.
We have known for many years that exercise helps to improve glucose control in type 2 diabetes. Most of the research has looked at aerobic exercise. Now we know that strength training is a critical element in the arsenal of holistic treatments to help women and men control their type 2 diabetes!
More power to you,
Miriam E. Nelson
Author of
Strong Women Stay Young
Strong Women Stay Slim
Strong Women, Strong Bones
Strong Women Eat Well
Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis
Founder of http://www.strongwomen.com
There are a couple of interesting elements to this study. All of the volunteers were Hispanic and none of them had done anything like this before. Despite the novelty of the exercise, they all did very well and most of them really enjoyed the exercise. The reason to study Hispanic older adults was driven by the fact that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Hispanics is double that of Caucasians. Additional research from Australia shows us that the findings are also applicable to the general population.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called diabetes "the epidemic of our time." Today, there are 16 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, a 700 percent increase from 1960. In addition, there are another 16 million people who are pre-diabetic. Forty years ago, when type 2 diabetes (which constitutes over 90 percent of all cases) was called "maturity-onset" diabetes, it was considered a disease that appeared in the elderly. Times have changed. Now even adolescents get type 2 diabetes! The reasons for the dramatic increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes are the increase in obesity along with poor nutrition and inadequate exercise.
We have known for many years that exercise helps to improve glucose control in type 2 diabetes. Most of the research has looked at aerobic exercise. Now we know that strength training is a critical element in the arsenal of holistic treatments to help women and men control their type 2 diabetes!
More power to you,
Miriam E. Nelson
Author of
Strong Women Stay Young
Strong Women Stay Slim
Strong Women, Strong Bones
Strong Women Eat Well
Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis
Founder of http://www.strongwomen.com
For
more information go to the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org (Reference: Castaneda, C,
JE Layne, Munoz-Orians L, PL Gordon, J Walsmith, M Foldvari, R Roubenoff, KL
Tucker, ME Nelson. A randomized controlled trial of resistance exercise
training to improve glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Care 25:2335-2341, 2002)
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