HHS HealthBeat (May 02, 2007)

Twitch on

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

As we get older, we get slower and weaker. But why? Researcher Christopher Knight of the University of Delaware has been looking at that. He’s been tracing what happens when nerves fire and muscles respond. His study in the Journal of Applied Physiology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Knight tested nerves and muscles in the index fingers of younger and older people. He says older people’s nerves didn’t fire as much as younger people’s nerves. In fact, when both groups had to work harder, younger people’s nerves fired a lot more.

But Knight says older people who exercise can hold onto – or gain back – a lot of what age might take.

``The same types of strengthening exercises that most people are familiar with, there’s no reason to change those types of exercises for older adults.’’ (8 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

Last revised: May, 02 2007