A study by Australian scientists, from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, and Adelaide, shows that weightlifting regularly could actually make your brain work better and prevent dementia. The study's findings are key to ensure healthier brain functions due to an estimated 135 million people are to develop dementia by 2050.

The researchers focused mainly on 100 people between the ages 55 and 86 with "mild cognitive impairment" (MCI). MCI is considered a precursor to developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

The 100 participants in this research were asked to do weightlifting and brain training twice a week, over a six month period.

The participants worked with weights that were 80 percent as heavy as the maximum weight they could life and the stronger they got, the more weight they lifted, continuing to follow the 80 percent rule.

MRI scans were used to study the subjects and it showed an increase in certain areas of the brains. Although future studies will determine whether this is true for people of any age group, the positive results led to the encouragement for people to do resistance training like weight lifting by Dr. Mavros, one of the researchers.