Reviewed by Dietitian Mandy ENRIGHT, MS, RDN, RYT
Design elements: ghetto images. EATHELL design.
Key points
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A new study suggests that exercise, diet and regular health checks can reduce the risk of dementia.
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This includes exercise – ideally six times a week – and mental exercise to keep you sharp.
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After the diet of the mind, a combination of Mediterranean and dash diets can also support better brain health.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia are significant challenges to public health for many reasons. More people are affected by dementia and the condition can bring heavy emotional, social and financial burdens. And as much as you or a loved one want to reduce the risk of dementia, it may be difficult to find out where to start.
Memory decline in adult adults often has many reasons, so effective treatments ideally deal with several goals at once. While the new drugs targeting amyloid (a group of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s) show a promise to slow down the disease in its early stages, they do not deal with other common problems such as damage to blood vessels in the brain, which can also contribute to memory loss. This emphasizes the need for better, more comprehensive treatments.
Non -medication approaches, such as improving lifestyle factors, offer a safe, affordable and affordable way to reduce the risk of dementia. A major study in Finland (called Finnish geriatric intervention to prevent cognitive damage and damage or finger) showed that combining certain changes in a healthy lifestyle improves memory and thinking in adult adults at risk of dementia.
To determine whether the positive results of a Finger study in Finland can also be applied to more and more diverse group of people in the United States, which are at risk of dementia, researchers have studied the effects of this method on the health of the brain and thinking and the results are published in JamS This study was called an American study to protect brain health through lifestyle intervention to reduce the risk or US directory.
How was this study conducted?
Researchers were recruiting subjects for this study, using electronic health records and working with local public organizations to directly reach people. The goal was to include adult adults (60 to 79 years old) who had no memory problems but were at a higher risk of developing dementia.
In order to qualify, participants had to meet specific criteria regarding lifestyle factors and risk factors. These factors include low levels of physical activity – which means less than 60 minutes of moderate exercise a week – and do not follow the diet of mind that is designed to support the health of the brain. As for the risk factors, participants had to meet at least two of the following conditions:
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The close family member (as a parent or siblings) had memory problems.
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They had health risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar.
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They have identified themselves as part of a racial or ethnic group, which is often under -represented in research, such as Native American, blacks, Middle Eastern or Spanish or Latin American.
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They were in the older age range (70 to 79 years old) or were men, as men were often undergoing insufficiently in the prevention of dementia prevention studies.
Both groups focused on improving the health of the brain through physical activity, cognitive activity, healthy eating, social commitment and monitoring of heart health. The difference between the two groups was how the program was implemented. The first group was the structured group and the participants in this group received additional support from trained professionals and worked closely with peers of 10-15 people for motivation and accountability. The participants attended 38 meetings in the team for two years, and the meetings were led by trained navigators and specialists. They also participated in the following:
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Physical exercise: 30-35 minutes moderate to intense aerobic activity four times a week, plus strength and flexibility exercises twice a week.
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Cognitive Exercise: A computer brain training program three times a week for 30 minutes, plus regular commitment to other intellectually challenging and social activities.
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Nutrition: Adherence to the mind the diet that emphasizes dark foliage, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil and fish and limits sugar and unhealthy fats.
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Health Monitoring: Regular checks (every 6 months) on blood pressure, weight and laboratory results.
The second group was the self -guided group. This group was more independent, but still had access to resources and support from peers and navigators from the Alzheimer’s Association. Participants received publicly available resources for changes in healthy lifestyles, such as tips for exercise, diet and brain health. They only attended six peers team meetings for two years, and their health checked once a year during the clinic visits, following the standard health instructions.
This study measures the health and thinking of the brain, using a global cognitive result that combines the results of three key areas: an executive function that includes skills such as planning, problem solving and multitudeships; episodic memory that focuses on remembering specific events or experiences; and processing speed that measures how fast the brain can handle the information. To calculate the global result, participants completed a series of brain tests during clinic visits at the beginning of the study and every six months for two years.
What did the study find?
Both groups in the US Directory study showed improvements in the overall brain function over time measured by their global cognitive results. After adjusting certain factors, the structured group improved a little faster than the self-managed group and this difference was statistically significant.
When they focused on the various cognitive areas that researchers measured, here’s what they found:
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Enforcement: When planning, problem solving and multitasking, the structured group improved more than the self -guided group and the difference was statistically significant.
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Processing: When measuring how long the brain takes to process information, the structured group also showed a slightly more improvement – however, this difference was not statistically significant.
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Episodic memory: As for remembering specific events, both groups improved at the same speed, without a significant difference between them.
The structured program seems to have had the most impact on the participants who started the study with a lower cognitive function. However, the structured program works similarly, regardless of gender, age or health of the heart of participants at the beginning of the study. In addition, the effects of the structured program were the same for people with or without Apoe ε4 gene, which studies are associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
In summary, the structured program provided the most beneficial for the executive function and was particularly useful for participants who started with more cognitive abilities. Other factors such as age, gender and genetic risk do not seem to change how effective the program is.
This study has several restrictions that should be taken into account. First, the results may not apply to all, as the study is held only on five sites, included participants specifically with a higher risk of cognitive decline and require a significant two-year commitment on the part of the participants. Second, the study is not intended to measure whether interventions can prevent cognitive damage or dementia, so these results remain unknown.
It is also worth noting that the self -guided group was not a true control group “Without Intervention” as they still received some resources and support. Plus, participants knew in which group they were, which could influence their behavior or results. Moreover, it is not clear how long the benefits of the structured program will continue, how easily it can be increased for the greater population, or how meaningful the improvements in the long run are.
How is this applied to real life?
This study emphasizes the power of lifestyle changes when it comes to helping brain health and reducing the risk of memory reduction. This shows that combining regular exercise, healthy diet, mental stimulation and social commitment can lead to a real difference, especially for people with a higher risk of dementia.
The structured program, which provided additional guidance and support, was especially effective in improving skills such as planning, problem solving, and multiple. This observation suggests that having a clear plan and access to professional support can help people stick to healthy habits and see better results. But the self-guided group, which had more flexibility, showed improvements, proving that small, consistent changes in everyday life can still benefit from brain health.
This means that the perception of healthier habits such as remaining active, following the diet of the mind, engaging in mentally challenging activities and remaining socially connected, can be a practical and affordable way to protect the health of the brain. While the study focuses on adult adults at risk of dementia, findings are a reminder that it is never too early or too late to start making positive changes.
Our expert takes
A study published recently in Jam It provides valuable evidence that changes in lifestyle can play a significant role in supporting brain health and reducing the risk of cognitive decline. In particular, these discoveries emphasize the potential for combining regular exercise, diet, health for the brain, mental stimulation and social commitment to improve cognitive health, especially for those with a higher risk of dementia.
Both structured and standalone programs have led to improvements in the overall function of the brain, with the structured program showing slightly greater benefits, especially in areas such as planning, problem solving and multiditude. The important thing is that the study also showed that even small, self -guided changes can make a meaningful difference, which makes these strategies accessible to a wide range of people.
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