Pumping iron could be one of the keys to lowering dementia risk as you get older, according to a groundbreaking study led by the Australian National University.
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Lead researcher Dr Marnie Shaw said the study found a link between body mass index and brain shrinkage among those aged in their 60s and early 70s.
"The interesting thing we found is that older people in an otherwise healthy weight range, who were losing weight, had more brain ageing than older people with a stable weight," she said.
"So we can infer that is probably related to the loss of muscle in that group who are losing weight."
Reduced body mass index in older age was associated with the death of neural tissue, or brain shrinkage, which is in turn associated with the onset of dementia.
Dr Shaw, from the ANU Research School of Engineering, said going to the gym to retain muscle mass, and therefore a healthy BMI, could in turn help to combat dementia risk.
"As our population ages, the number of people with dementia will increase, but an active lifestyle offers real opportunities for reducing dementia risk," Dr Shaw said.
"Preliminary results from our research indicate that it's important for people in later years to go to the gym to maintain a healthy weight and not lose their muscles," she added.
Dementia Australia describes dementia as "a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain", rather than a specific disease..
"Dementia affects thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks," the organisation said on its website.
"Brain function is affected enough to interfere with the person's normal social or working life."
Previous studies have uncovered a relationship between obesity in middle age and the onset of dementia.
However, Dr Shaw said this was the first research to unpick how losing weight may be linked to brain shrinkage as individuals aged.
"What's novel in our research is that we are looking at changing BMI.
"What hasn't been shown before is this extra brain ageing associated with a decreasing BMI," she said.
There are more than 400,000 Australians living with dementia, according to Dementia Australia, and about one in 10 Australians aged 65 years or older would develop dementia, Dr Shaw said.
"The big picture of this research is about dementia, which is a big problem in Australia and growing because we have an ageing population.
"Our research is looking at what people can actually do to reduce the risk of getting dementia."
Other risk factors associated with dementia included smoking, hypertension and depression.
The study used surveys and brain scans to assess the health of 400 Canberrans aged in their 60s and early 70s.
"I'd like to thank the volunteers who gave their time. Without their contribution this work wouldn't have been possible," Dr Shaw said.
The study, which was produced in collaboration with researchers from the University of New South Wales, was published in the International Journal of Obesity.
It is part of a larger project called the 2sweet project, which is led by ANU associate professor Nic Cherbuin from the ANU School of Population Health.
