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61/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 61 out of 100. How common it is

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Background Loss of muscle strength is common and is associated with various adverse health outcomes in old age, but few studies have examined the association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective To test the hypothesis that muscle strength is associated with incident AD and MCI. Design Prospective observational cohort study. Setting Retirement communities across the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area. Participants More than 900 community-based older persons without dementia at the baseline evaluation and in whom strength was measured in 9 muscle groups in arms and legs, and in the axial muscles and summarized into a composite measure of muscle strength. Main outcome measures Incident AD and MCI and the rate of change in global cognitive function. Results During a mean follow-up of 3.6 years, 138 persons developed AD. In a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and education status, each 1-U increase in muscle strength at baseline was associated with about a 43% decrease in the risk of AD (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.79). The association of muscle strength with AD persisted after adjustment for several covariates, including body mass index, physical activity, pulmonary function, vascular risk factors, vascular diseases, and apolipoprotein E4 status. In a mixed-effects model adjusted for age, sex, education status, and baseline level of global cognition, increased muscle strength was associated with a slower rate of decline in global cognitive function (P Conclusion These findings suggest a link between muscle strength, AD, and cognitive decline in older persons.

Key findings

Background Loss of muscle strength is common and is associated with various adverse health outcomes in old age, but few studies have examined the association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Objective To test the hypothesis that muscle strength is associated with incident AD and MCI.
Results During a mean follow-up of 3.6 years, 138 persons developed AD.
In a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and education status, each 1-U increase in muscle strength at baseline was associated with about a 43% decrease in the risk of AD (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.79).
In a mixed-effects model adjusted for age, sex, education status, and baseline level of global cognition, increased muscle strength was associated with a slower rate of decline in global cognitive function (P < .001).

Why it matters

In this cohort of older people without dementia, greater muscle strength was linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and slower cognitive decline. This is an association and does not show that strengthening muscles prevents Alzheimer's disease.

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Study details

Study designcohort study
Participants138
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 61/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	7 / 12	A cohort study following people over time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	138 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	6 / 7	Cited 415 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	4 / 5	21.8 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009
Impact for its field and year	3 / 6	Cited 6.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	3 / 6	Cited by 12 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 99 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author David Alan Bennett: h-index 197 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	0 / 3	Rush University Medical Center: institution h-index 670 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19901164)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	61 / 100	—

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Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

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APA 7th

Boyle, P. A., Buchman, A. S., Wilson, R. S., Leurgans, S. E., & Bennett, D. A. (2009). Association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease and the rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2009.240

Vancouver

Boyle PA, Buchman AS, Wilson RS, Leurgans SE, Bennett DA. Association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease and the rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of neurology. 2009. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2009.240. PMID: 19901164.

BibTeX

@article{boyle2009-19901164,
  author  = {Boyle, P. A. and Buchman, A. S. and Wilson, R. S. and Leurgans, S. E. and Bennett, D. A.},
  title   = {{Association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease and the rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older persons}},
  journal = {Archives of neurology},
  year    = {2009},
  doi     = {10.1001/archneurol.2009.240},
  pmid    = {19901164},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2009.240}
}

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