Testing Muscular Strength And Brain Power

Brain versus brawn. A Finnish study of older men and women links these two attributes with a finding that greater muscular strength is associated with better cognitive performance. The research was published in the journal European Geriatric Medicine.
 
Scientists measured the handgrip strength of 338 men and women with an average age of 66. Subjects were also tested on chest press, seated row, leg extension, leg flexion and leg press exercises. In addition, they took a battery of neuropsychological tests. Although handgrip strength alone was not a good indicator, the sum of upper and lower body muscle strength did correlate with better brain function scores.