New Study Shows Lifestyle Changes That Can Help Improve Risk Of Dementia

A new study has shown evidence that certain kinds of exercise and diet changes help older adults at risk of cognitive decline improve their cognition.

That’s according to the Alzheimer’s Associations POINTER Study, a two-year, multi-site clinical study that measured the effects of lifestyle interventions in older adults. The study included 2,111 participants with a greater risk of cognitive decline between the ages of 60 and 79.

Researchers prescribed participants a program consisting of 30- to 35-minute aerobic, resistance and stretching workouts at least four times a week, adherence to the MIND diet, which combines ingredients like dark leafy greens, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil and fish with restrictions for sugar, salt and unhealthy fats; computer-based cognitive challenges and training, intellectual and social activities; and periodic health reviews where clinicians measured blood pressure, weight and lab results.

The study also let some older adults self-guide their lifestyle interventions with only “general encouragement” from researchers.

The researchers found that residents who engaged in more physical activity, cognition-enhancing diets, brain games and health monitoring had improved their risk of cognitive decline versus their general risk. Participants in the more structured study group carried even greater cognitive benefits than those who self-guided their treatment.

The study  highlights that “while not everyone has the same access or ability to adhere to more intensive behavior interventions, even modest changes may protect the brain,” said Laura Baker, professor of gerontology and geriatrics and internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health and principal investigator for the study.

The Alzheimer’s Association has thus far invested almost $50 million into the study, with other support from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. The Alzheimer’s Association also plans to invest more than $40 million over the next four years to help older adults follow POINTER guidelines.

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