There is no doubt that strength training has lots of benefits in men and women alike. Strength training does not necessarily mean weight lifting, it could be resistance bands or even just bodyweight exercises such as plank, push ups and sit ups.
Strength training has been proven to help with weight loss or prevent weight gain, improve insulin sensitivity so improve blood sugar control, improve bone density and so help prevent bone thinning and osteoporosis in later life, improve balance and reduce the risk of falls and improve mental health and provide a sense of wellbeing.
It has also been shown to help prevent chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes and also improve blood flow and reduce inflammation.
[Nunes PRP, Castro-E-Souza P, de Oliveira AA et al. Effect of resistance training volume on body adiposity, metabolic risk, and inflammation in postmenopausal and older females: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Sport Health Sci 2024;13(2):145-159.]
How does strength training do all of this?
There has been research that has looked into myokines which are cytokines produced by skeletal muscle cells after exercise, either aerobic exercise or resistance training, as myokines may be possible mediators of the benefits of exercise.
[Hoffmann C & Weigert C. Skeletal muscle as an endocrine organ: The role of myokines in exercise adaptation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect. Med. 2017;7:25.]
Could it not just be due to the benefits of aerobic exercise?
It is true that aerobic exercise does help to reduce levels of circulating inflammatory mediators.
[Petersen AM & Pederson BK. The anti-inflammatory effect of exercise. J Appl Physiol 1985;98:1154-1162.]
[Shimojo G, Joseph B, Shah R et al. Exercise activates vagal induction of dopamine and attenuates systemic inflammation. Brain Behav Immun. 2019;75:181-191.]
But there is now starting to be evidence that resistance training also helps reduce inflammation.
[Al-Mhanna SB, Batrakoulis A, Ghazali WSW et al. Effects of combined aerobic and resistance training on glycemic control, blood pressure, inflammation, cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity: a systemic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ. 2024;12:317525.]
There is also evidence that strength training can also prevent skin aging.
[Nishikori S, Yasuda J, Murata K et al. Resistance training rejuvenates aging skin by reducing circulating inflammatory factors and enhancing dermal extracellular matrices. Sci Rep 2023;13(1):10214.]
How did they do the study?
It is a relatively small 16-week randomised study looking at 56 healthy, sedentary middle aged Japanese women. 26 were randomised to aerobic training and 30 to resistance training. Blood samples looking at certain factors were taken at baseline and at intervals during the 16-week study period.
What did they find?
They found that the aerobic group had a significant reduction in body weight, body mass index and had a significant improvement in peak oxygen uptake.
The resistance training group had a significant increase in lean soft tissue mass and muscular strength.
They also found an increase in myokines and a reduction in inflammatory markers in both groups.
What were the skin findings?
Both groups had a statistically significant improvement (p<0.001) in skin elasticity and upper dermal structure. The resistance training group alone had an improvement in dermal thickness (p<0.10)
How does that happen?
The authors are not completely sure. They found higher levels of something called biglycan (BGN) and something else called chondroitin sulfate synthase 1 (CHYS1) in the resistance training group. We know that biglycan is involved in dermal thickness and levels of biglycan decrease with aging and sun exposure. They were not sure of the role of CHYS1.
So clearly, one study does not equate to fact but it is interesting. Those of you after the anti-aging aspect might have to wait for further evidence. However, incorporating resistance training into your exercise programme, at least twice a week, has a multitude of benefits for the body as a whole and might actually make you feel younger and provide you with a sense of mental well being.
Kind regards,
Sandy
Dr Sandy Flann, Consultant Dermatologist
