Resistance Training May Benefit Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds
What did the researchers find?
Researchers found that after 6 months of being a part of the progressive resistance training program, patients had better brain volume and cortical thickness compared to patients who did not participate.
Progressive resistance training appears to reduce brain atrophy and may slow progression of multiple sclerosis.
Resistance training seemed to reduce the amount of brain atrophy compared to those who did not participate in the exercise program. Brain atrophy is what describes the general loss of brain tissue that is commonly seen as multiple sclerosis progresses. Usually, the medications that are given to treat this disease attempt to slow this atrophy, but the study found that the addition of exercise appeared to slow this process even further.
It’s been long hypothesized that exercise can help treat multiple sclerosis symptoms, but this is the first time we can see evidence for its protective effects on the nervous system.
Right now, researchers can’t explain how exercise reduces brain atrophy. But they hope to address these questions with future studies.