Latest news with #FinnishGeriatricInterventionStudytoPreventCognitiveImpairmentandDisability
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Business Standard
30-07-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
Structured lifestyle changes sharpen memory, slow brain aging in seniors
In a breakthrough for brain health research, a new study has found that making simple lifestyle changes such as eating healthily, staying physically active, and engaging in social activities can significantly enhance brain function in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. The findings from the U.S. POINTER (Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk) study were shared earlier this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025 in Toronto, offering new evidence that everyday habits can play a key role in protecting brain health. What is the U.S. POINTER study? The POINTER study is the first large-scale trial in the United States to test whether a combination of lifestyle interventions can reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults. The study tracked participants aged 60 to 79, all of whom were at increased risk for dementia due to factors like high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle, or family history. Participants were divided into two groups. Both groups focused on exercise, nutrition, mental and social activities, and monitoring heart health, but differed in how structured the support was. Structured lifestyle group: Participants followed a detailed programme with 38 peer meetings over two years. They had set goals for physical activity, diet, brain training, social engagement, and regular health check-ins with clinicians. Self-guided lifestyle group: Participants had six peer meetings and were encouraged to make their own lifestyle changes with general support, but without specific coaching or targets. After two years, both groups showed improvements in cognitive function. However, participants in the structured lifestyle intervention group had significantly greater improvement in overall cognition, memory, and executive function. This research also aligns with previous studies, such as the FINGER (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability) study, which showed that lifestyle changes can improve brain health in older adults. 'These people are obtaining cognitive function scores that are similar to people one to two years younger than they (participants) are,' said Laura D Baker, one of the study's principal investigators. 'It highlights that while not everyone has the same access or ability to adhere to more intensive behaviour interventions, even modest changes may protect the brain,' she said. 'We designed the interventions to target four aspects of lifestyle: physical activity, diet, cognitive challenge, and health monitoring,' said Jeffrey Katula, who co-chaired the intervention oversight committee for the study. 'Our findings have tremendous implications for older adults: It is never too late to make lifestyle changes that can have a measurable impact on one's brain health,' he added. Why these findings matter As populations age and cases of dementia rise, finding non-pharmaceutical ways to protect brain health is becoming increasingly urgent. 'As the burden of dementia grows worldwide, U.S. POINTER affirms a vital public health message: healthy behaviour has a powerful impact on brain health,' said Joanne Pike, Alzheimer's Association president and CEO. 'This is a critical public health opportunity. The intervention was effective across a broad, representative group- regardless of sex, ethnicity, genetic risk, or heart health status — demonstrating its applicability and scalability for communities across the country. The positive results of U.S. POINTER encourage us to look at the potential for a combination of a lifestyle program and drug treatment as the next frontier in our fight against cognitive decline and possibly dementia,' said Pike. 'Complex diseases like heart disease and cancer use combination treatment strategies tailored to individual characteristics. The next generation of treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's will likely integrate drug and non-drug strategies. U.S. POINTER provides a strong foundation for such combination approaches,' said Heather M Snyder, co-author of the study. What can individuals do? Based on the POINTER study's results, experts suggest some steps for protecting brain health: Follow a brain-friendly diet: A diet rich in leafy greens, berries, nuts, and whole grains is good for overall health. Stay physically active: Engage in moderate activity like brisk walking, swimming, or yoga for at least 150 minutes a week. Stay socially and mentally active: Join clubs, volunteer, or take up hobbies that challenge the brain. Manage existing health conditions: Monitor and control blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol levels. While genetics and age play a role in dementia risk, the study underscores a powerful message: It's never too early or too late to take steps toward better brain health.
Medical News Today
29-07-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Lifestyle changes in 4 areas may improve brain health, major US study finds
A program of exercise, nutrition, cognitive and social challenges, and health coaching resulted in improved cognition scores for people at risk of Alzheimer's disease and related two-year trial involved lifestyle changes only, without added participants followed the program self-guided, but those receiving the program in a structured format improved more, though all participants' cognitive scores improved.A low-cost, non-pharmaceutical lifestyle program that targeted risk factors for dementia improved the cognitive health of older at-risk adults in a major new U.S. POINTER trial was a multidimensional program involving exercise, diet, regular cognitive challenges, social engagement, and health trial involved 2,111 older people considered at risk of dementia. It compared a structured intervention program to a lower-intensity, self-guided, but similar, in the structured program exhibited significantly greater improvement in composite cognitive scores than the self-guided group after a two-year trial scores for both groups U.S. POINTER trial is a follow-up to the 2015 Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) trial. The earlier trial observed meaningful cognitive benefits resulting from a multi-domain intervention in older adults at elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).Bridget Stratton of the Alzheimer's Association told Medical News Today, 'U.S. POINTER is important because it was designed as a rigorous, randomized controlled clinical trial to demonstrate whether an accessible and sustainable lifestyle intervention protects cognitive function in diverse populations in communities across the United States.''More than 30% of participants were from groups that have been historically underrepresented in dementia research,' Stratton results of the U.S. POINTER study are published in JAMA.A structured program works bestFor the structured arm of the U.S. POINTER trial, there were 38 facilitated peer team meetings over two years, with education, goal-setting, and accountability that promoted adherence to the trial's recommended behavioral aligns with what John Enwere, founder of Caringene, a Seattle-based home care company for older people, who was not involved in the study, has seen. 'I've seen clients thrive when a family member or caregiver is both engaging and thoroughly executes their personal care plan,' he told Medical News the self-guided arm, there were just six facilitated peer team meetings over two years. Participants were provided educational materials, tools to help track adherence to health plans, and general support that encouraged physical activity, a healthy diet, and cognitive and social stimulation.'The extra benefit [of a structured program] was observed regardless of sex, ethnicity, genetic risk (apolipoprotein-e4 genotype) or cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels),' Stratton Arnold, MD, founder of Clava Health, who was not involved in the study, noted to MNT that the self-directed group 'crucially lacked the dedicated coaching team and physician follow-up afforded to the structured intervention group.''This vital distinction,' he added, 'underscores how absolutely necessary a team-based approach is for the comprehensive care of patients at risk of, or in the early stages of, cognitive impairment.''POINTER's results affirm that structure and coaching are not just nice to have, they are necessary,' Enwere POINTER trial's four interventionsThe U.S. POINTER trial's structured arm involved four types of exercise — including aerobic, resistance, stretching, and balance exercises, primarily undertaken at a community — including help with following a MIND diet, supported by peer group meetings and interventionist telephone engagement and social interaction — via cognitive training at home and regular participation in intellectually and socially involving activities in peer health coaching — involving appointments with a medical advisor every six months to review monthly blood-pressure and blood laboratory results, and this program may workU.S. POINTER demonstrates that its multimodal approach can work in patients' family homes with caregivers, but may be adapted for residents at skilled nursing pointed out, however, while care facilities might be able to manage such interventions, 'from what I've seen, they do not often have the staff ratios or consistency useful in enforcing deep lifestyle changes.''For adherence to more complex components — particularly supplementation to guide vascular and metabolic risk factors, and structured physical training — a team-based approach is likely most beneficial,' Ryan noted.'This team would ideally be physician-led, with robust support from a health coach to reinforce behaviors, and include a similarly informed and guided trainer who is acutely aware of the specific cognitive goals and physical limitations of the individual,' he said.'The magic occurs,' Enwere said, 'when the environment meets the clients where they are, physically and cognitively.'As to ideal settings, he suggested patients' homes, community centers, or a hybrid of the two, in order to leverage activities such as senior exercise classes or cooking groups.A holistic approach to treating Alzheimer'sExtensive research has been conducted on the causes and potential solutions for Alzheimer's and related dementias. However, progress has been slow. This may be attributed to a long-standing focus on pharmaceutical solutions for the is believed there are multiple pathologies that lead to ADRD, and thus, as the authors of the U.S. POINTER trial assert, 'There is a critical need for interventions that target several risk pathways simultaneously.'A recent Lancet report identified 14 modifiable ADRD risk factors.'The pharmaceutical approach to Alzheimer's has, regrettably, been largely disappointing, mired by the recent retraction of several studies due to fraud concerns, and overall showing negligible improvement or minimal impact on prevention or progression and the associated high incidence of complications and side effects, brain bleeding being one of them,' Arnold said.'My professional stance on treating Alzheimer's from a non-pharmaceutical angle is one of strong support and profound optimism,' he added.'There is certainly a time and place for medications, but only in certain stages. Medications do not address the underlying behavioral or vascular aspects of decline, a decline that can be made worse by medications.'— John EnwereArnold asserted the U.S. POINTER results, 'reinforce the core functional and integrative medicine principle of simultaneously addressing multiple contributing factors to health and disease.'
