Study explores link between muscle strength and mental health in older adults

The Granada Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA) and the University of Granada, in collaboration with the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga and Platform in Nanomedicine (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), have carried out a study that analyses the relationship between muscle strength and mental health in cognitively healthy older adults. The study, which is part of the randomized controlled trial áGUEDA - Active Gains in brain Using Exercise During Aging -, includes 90 cognitively healthy older adults (57% women), and offers new perspectives on how physical fitness can influence the psychological well-being of older people.

The group's researcher TEC15-Nuclear and Molecular Medicine of the ibs.GRANADA, who also leads the áGUEDA project, is Dr. Irene Esteban-Cornejo, who works together with the main author of this study, Darío Bellón; both professionals from the Department of Physical and Sports Education of the Faculty of Sports Sciences and the Joint University Institute of Sports and Health (iMUDS) of the University of Granada (UGR).

The study, published in the magazine International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, focused on assessing muscle strength through various tests, such as handgrip strength, squats, and elbow and knee extension exercises, as well as through perceived indicators such as the International Physical Fitness Scale (IFIS). In addition, various aspects of mental health were assessed, including anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and emotional well-being.

In Malaga, the postdoctoral researcher of the IBIMA BIONAND Platform 'Mental Health, Services and Primary Care (SAMSERAP) group, Dr. María Rodríguez-Ayllón, has participated in this work in permanent collaboration with professionals from the capital of Granada. In this sense, María Rodríguez has pointed out that «our results indicate that there is a significant association between grip strength and self-esteem, as well as between perceived strength and depressive symptoms.» In addition, she has emphasized that «the findings in this study underline the importance of maintaining good muscle strength not only for physical health, but also for mental well-being in old age.»

On the other hand, Darío Bellón, who has carried out this study as part of his Doctoral Thesis in the Biomedicine Program of the UGR, has recalled the relevance of these results for clinical practice, since "the identification of muscle strength as a modifiable factor can open new avenues for the intervention and prevention of mental health problems in older adults, reinforcing the need to promote physical exercise programs adapted to this population."

In this regard, the AGUEDA study has developed a 6-month muscle strength intervention to examine whether improvements in muscle strength after the exercise program produce improvements in mental and cognitive health in older adults, and to identify the mechanisms of action underlying these improvements. Promising results in this direction will soon be available in the AGUEDA study.

This work has had the collaboration of other professionals from different centres at national and international level, in addition to the two entities from Malaga and Granada, which reinforces the multidisciplinary work in the Health Research Institutes, accredited by the Carlos III Health Institute.