Effects of Resistance Training on Executive Functions in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective

To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of resistance training interventions on executive functions in community-dwelling older adults free of cognitive impairment.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting

AND

Participants

Community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older without cognitive impairment.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EMBASE for randomized controlled trials of resistance exercise in adults aged 60 or more up to February 17, 2025. Outcomes included inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool, and evidence quality was graded with Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. Findings were synthesized descriptively and narratively, and a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4.

Results

Twenty-two trials met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis, which ultimately included 17 studies, revealed that RT significantly improved working memory compared with control conditions (standardized mean difference, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.02-0.59; P = .04) and cognitive flexibility (standardized mean difference, -0.50; 95% CI, -0.88 to -0.12; P = .009), whereas no significant effects were observed for inhibitory control. However, when RT was compared with other exercise interventions, no significant between-group differences were identified for working memory, inhibitory control, or cognitive flexibility.

Conclusions

AND IMPLICATIONS RT may contribute to improvements in some domains of EF in older adults, particularly working memory and cognitive flexibility. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the heterogeneity of intervention protocols, the overall low certainty of evidence, and the high RoB across studies. Further high-quality trials with standardized training parameters are required to clarify the potential cognitive effects of RT and its comparative effectiveness relative to other exercise modalities.