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Staying Healthy
Use strength training to help ward off chronic disease
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
This type of exercise may protect you against chronic inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Strength training is well known for creating stronger muscles and bones, and the benefits don’t stop there. A review of studies published online Feb. 28, 2022, by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that strength training is associated with a 10% to 17% lower risk of premature death from all causes, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. It’s the latest of many studies to show a connection between strength training and good health.
What’s the link?
Strength training triggers many body reactions that protect us against chronic disease. For example:
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Strength and Power Training for Older Adults
Studies attest that strength training, as well as aerobic exercise, can help you manage and sometimes prevent conditions as varied as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It can also protect vitality, make everyday tasks more manageable, and help you maintain a healthy weight. Strength and Power Training for Older Adults answers your strength training questions and helps you develop a program that's right for you.
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