Progressive Resistance Exercise, Cognitive Performance and Circulating Biomarkers in Older Women Receiving Statins: A Randomized Comparison with an Additional Non-Randomized Exercise Group

Evidence regarding the cognitive and circulating biomarker responses to progressive resistance exercise in older women receiving statins remains limited. This study examined cognitive performance in statin users assigned to exercise or no exercise and explored changes in biological markers. Forty-four sedentary older women completed the study. Statin users were randomly assigned to a statin-treated control group (ST; n = 14) or a statin-treated progressive resistance exercise group (STPE; n = 15). Non-statin users were recruited separately (NSPE; n = 15). The exercise groups trained three times weekly for eight weeks. Cognitive performance, pBDNF, and oxidative stress and antioxidant markers were assessed before and after the study period. Compared with ST, STPE showed more favorable changes in Stroop incongruent task completion time (p = 0.002), interference (p = 0.005), and combined incongruent and neutral task completion time (p = 0.018). Changes in Digit Span performance and the TMT-B/TMT-A ratio did not differ significantly between the randomized groups. In baseline-adjusted sensitivity analyses, the between-group difference remained statistically significant for interference (p = 0.029), but not for incongruent task completion time (p = 0.075) or combined task completion time (p = 0.151). pBDNF increased within both ST and STPE, while POX increased and total antioxidant capacity decreased within both groups. None of the biological markers, including catalase, showed a significant difference in change between ST and STPE, although catalase increased within NSPE. Progressive resistance exercise was associated with more favorable changes in selected Stroop measures among women receiving statins, without corresponding between-group differences in biological responses. These findings provide no evidence that increased circulating pBDNF contributed to the observed cognitive benefits. The sample size, multiple outcomes, and baseline differences warrant cautious interpretation and confirmation in larger trials.