Latest news with #cognitivefunction
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
After my mum died of dementia I knew I had to change my life to save my brain
Having watched my beautiful, witty and highly intelligent mum bravely battle dementia for 10 years I know I would do anything to prevent the same happening to me – and to save my family from having to stand by and witness it. Could a brain coach help? One two-year clinical trial found that it increased cognitive function by 74 per cent after two years. Dementia prevention coach Susan Saunders, who trained with US neuroscientist Dr Dale Bredesen, runs a three-month long Better Brain Framework that promises improved memory, sharper cognition and to banish brain fog. When I approach her about doing the programme, she was very clear that it was all or nothing: I had to commit fully to her – a commitment that included six 40-minute Zoom coaching sessions, plus homework of six teaching videos. I was daunted but realised it had to be done. At the age of 59 I knew I had to change my life to save my brain. At our first meeting, Saunders, who is also a trained habit coach, told me that although she could not prevent dementia, what she could do was 'build long-term habits scientifically shown to reduce dementia risk'. Like me, Saunders lost her mother to dementia – in her case, Alzheimer's, in mine, a form of Parkinson's dementia. My mum, Anita, was the perfect storm. She had a mind like a steel trap and lived an intellectually stimulating life – she was an academic and a journalist, she had a PhD in English literature, she saw every Royal Shakespeare Company production, she read and wrote constantly. She was active and slim with a wide circle of friends and a happy marriage to her second husband who she met at 50. However, she lived in London near a busy road and had suffered a head injury in her 50s, falling down some stairs while sleepwalking. Then, when she was 65, she became a carer to her husband following a serious stroke that left him wheelchair-bound. She no longer rode her bike to the British Library every day, or went to the theatre. There was no time for reading. She began to decline and after five years was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Soon afterwards, the severe physical symptoms of her condition were joined by Parkinson's dementia, which features disturbed sleep, delusions, depression and anxiety. She died 10 years later, aged 81. Lifestyle may not have caused my mother's illness but it almost certainly hastened it. How we live matters. 'It's about building the life that puts your brain health first,' says Saunders. 'There's no magic pill coming any time soon to prevent dementia. The best hope we have is lifestyle changes.' What's more, work done now will give better memory, cognition and mental health now. 'Create an identity for yourself as someone who puts their brain first, prioritising yourself and your brain even above families, bosses, co-workers,' says Saunders. Not easy, she concedes, but vital. Over the next three months, I give it a try. Session one: nutrition for a better brain In our first session, Saunders reminds me that 20 per cent of everything we consume goes straight to our brain. 'Feed it c--p – it's going to work like c--p!' she summarises, pithily. Saunders's top tip on how to build a meal that's better for your brain is 'plan veg first'. This is because they 'give us a type of antioxidant, called polyphenols, which feed our brain. The first studies to focus on this found that people eating at least three portions of veg each day had slower rates of cognitive decline, and similar research showed green leafy veg also slowed cognitive decline. You're aiming for six to nine portions of veg a day.' I start planning our dinner plates veg first, then protein, then carbs. It's a revelation. We're having four veg (corn, grated carrots, avocados, beans) as well as our daily dose of broccoli. Protein (chicken, beef, fish) takes a quarter of the plate and in my case there's barely room for carbs, though the children and my husband still have pasta or potatoes. I replace my morning porridge with banana and yogurt, nuts and seeds for more protein, which Saunders also recommends. I succeed in 'crowding out' biscuits – snacking on nuts which provide healthy fats and in the afternoon I eat dried apricots or dates – yes, high in sugar but not processed, and full of fibre. I have to think long and hard about alcohol. The truth is, although I rarely get drunk, I drink a glass or two of wine most nights of the week. I rely on alcohol to manage stress and also to give me a feeling of being rewarded for working hard. Saunders' advice is to cut back. 'It's a neurotoxin. You know that feeling when you relax, then feel a bit woozy, then drunk. That's the impact on your brain.' I tell Saunders that when I did Dry January I felt great and she asks: 'What else could provide a different punctuation point at the end of the day? Can you start to move towards embodying someone who puts their brain first, who understands that alcohol is a neurotoxin and who needs less of it in their lives?' I stop buying wine at the supermarket on weeknights and start trying to limit wine to two evenings a week. I manage three. I am genuinely shocked at the difference it makes to the way I feel the next day. The less I drink, though, the worse I feel when I do drink – which also gives me pause for thought. Have I just got used to feeling under-par most of the time? Session two: movement, the brain's silver bullet 'Of all of the strategies we can try to reduce our dementia risk, none has more supporting scientific evidence than exercise,' Saunders tells me in our next session. It makes me sit up and listen. She explains that we're actually growing our brains when we exercise and that research has linked regular exercise to a 35 per cent lower risk of dementia. And it's not just structured exercise that makes a difference: moving about, for example doing regular housework, also has significant benefits. I'm not keen to start doing more domestic chores but I do take note. When it comes to exercise I am very faddy. One month I'm walking, the next week cycling, the next week doing weights. I've kept up swimming in cold water for 10 years now and although that's good, it's not enough. So, I start running up a huge hill near my house which is a form of resistance exercise (running counts, sort of) and getting enormously out of breath. All of these are vital for the brain. The running feels awful at first but the improvements are quick and when I get home I feel amazing. Added to the reduced drinking I'm as sharp as a pin and, my husband reports, a lot less grumpy than I used to be. Session three: A good night's sleep starts in the morning Saunders says: 'Deep sleep becomes harder to achieve as we get older but it's in this phase of sleep where the magic happens in terms of brain health. One study found that a 1 per cent reduction in deep sleep in people over 60 could lead to an increased dementia risk of 27 per cent.' That sounds pretty scary. Having been an insomniac in the past, however, I already have quite good sleep habits. I keep a regular bedtime and getting-up time and I pop a magnesium tablet (also recommended by Saunders) before bed. To this I now add 'morning light' with my uphill runs, which is good for the body's circadian rhythm. I am also keeping up the restraint around alcohol to see if this makes a difference. After a few nights of tossing and turning without a drink to clunk me on the head and get me to sleep I have started to drop off quickly and sleep deeply, waking earlier and much more refreshed. I love wine, and I couldn't bear the thought of life without a single vice, but I realise I've got to cut back further. When, a month in to the programme, I tell Saunders about my increasing clarity – the less I drink the sharper I feel – she gets excited: 'That's it working!' she says. 'That's better brain health.' She is right. Session four: stress is bad for the brain Stress has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's in multiple studies. Allow time in your schedule to care for yourself. And that doesn't mean bubble baths. When I feel I'm getting stressed, I stop and tell myself how bad it is for my brain. I try to work through the suggestions Saunders has made: I distance myself from my feelings. I ask myself why am I feeling like this and what can I do. Most of all I remain aware when it's ramping up. As a result I feel less stressed, more in control and clearer headed. Session five: start dancing to boost cognitive engagement I feel cognitively engaged – I work as a journalist talking to interesting people, I have a chatty husband and three children, all lively, entertaining young people, I read as much as I can before falling asleep. But there's always more you could be doing. For me, table tennis and padel are out, as I am simply atrocious at sports, but Saunders has another suggestion. She says: 'It's been suggested that the best way to recreate the complex interaction of physical movement, memory, decision-making and social interaction that our ancestors experienced on that savannah is to dance.' This makes a lot of sense – it requires the full spectrum of cognitive skills, complex motor, perceptual and conceptual skills. One study examined the leisure activities of a group of older people over several decades and found that dancing provided the greatest dementia risk reduction (76 per cent) of any activity studied, cognitive or physical. I realise music is missing from my life, as I barely know how to listen to it any more – the tech is too complicated – and rely on occasional bursts from the radio in the car. I brace myself and log on to Spotify which leads to dancing in the kitchen until I am caught by a horrified teenager. It makes me realise there's always more you can add and that the danger point will come when one starts to work less. Plus my husband and I will need a plan for retirement (if that time ever comes) as we plan to move to the country – we will need to find new hobbies and interests. Session six: managing my environment The news about environmental factors leaves me downhearted. There are several categories of 'dementogens' including heavy metals, chemicals such as pesticides and cleaning products, and biotoxins such as moulds. However it is the air pollution that concerns me. Like my mum before me I live in London, in zone two, and I can't really get away from it. Nevertheless I change my run to the park so I go through back streets instead of on the road. I try not to breathe too much through my mouth (easier said than done when you're running uphill). Elsewhere I stop microwaving in plastic and consider not storing food in plastic, although given my immense Tupperware collection this will be a stretch. In the fullness of time I plan to replace some cleaning products. The other factor grouped together with this is loneliness, known to increase the risk of dementia. Research published in 2023 found that the risk of developing dementia over nine years was 27 per cent higher among socially isolated older adults, compared with older adults who were not socially isolated. Other research has found that those with a strong support system are 46 per cent less likely to develop dementia. 'The best workout we can give our brains is talking to a stranger,' says Saunders. 'The brain has to process so much at this precise moment – who is this person? What do they want from me? Am I safe? Talking to a stranger every day is a great way to flex cognitive engagement.' I talk to strangers all the time anyway, much to the mortification of my husband and children. I'll keep it up. The final result After three months I am convinced that we could all benefit from following this programme. For me, the two most significant and dramatic changes have been cutting alcohol back to once a week and starting running again. The combination of these two things plus the better sleep I get as a result has given me better clarity than I had at the age of 30 when I was starting out in journalism, living the high life in London, drinking, staying up late, stressing out, keeping irregular sleep patterns – you name it, I was doing it, wrong. The exhaustion of being a working parent and later also a carer for my mother, and the stress-related drinking that went along with it, didn't help in the years that followed. Most people following her programme have one such realisation says Saunders – whether it's exercising, better nutrition, self-care or simply taking time for themselves. I'm delighted that the effects are instant. Most importantly, if I stay on this path I will reduce my risk in the future. If only my mum could have done the same – though events conspired against her. I urge anyone who has become a carer, or whose parent has become a carer, to bear this in mind. I'm grateful to Saunders for opening my eyes and encouraging me with her three-month programme. Her advice is so simple and sane: 'It's so easy. Choose those things you can keep up. There's no magic pill to reduce dementia risk. It's about long term consistency. That's the closest thing we've got to a magic bullet.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
After my mum died of dementia I knew I had to change my life to save my brain
Having watched my beautiful, witty and highly intelligent mum bravely battle dementia for 10 years I know I would do anything to prevent the same happening to me – and to save my family from having to stand by and witness it. Could a brain coach help? One two-year clinical trial found that it increased cognitive function by 74 per cent after two years. Dementia prevention coach Susan Saunders, who trained with US neuroscientist Dr Dale Bredesen, runs a three-month long Better Brain Framework that promises improved memory, sharper cognition and to banish brain fog. When I approach her about doing the programme, she was very clear that it was all or nothing: I had to commit fully to her – a commitment that included six 40-minute Zoom coaching sessions, plus homework of six teaching videos. I was daunted but realised it had to be done. At the age of 59 I knew I had to change my life to save my brain. At our first meeting, Saunders, who is also a trained habit coach, told me that although she could not prevent dementia, what she could do was 'build long-term habits scientifically shown to reduce dementia risk '. Like me, Saunders lost her mother to dementia – in her case, Alzheimer's, in mine, a form of Parkinson's dementia. My mum, Anita, was the perfect storm. She had a mind like a steel trap and lived an intellectually stimulating life – she was an academic and a journalist, she had a PhD in English literature, she saw every Royal Shakespeare Company production, she read and wrote constantly. She was active and slim with a wide circle of friends and a happy marriage to her second husband who she met at 50. However, she lived in London near a busy road and had suffered a head injury in her 50s, falling down some stairs while sleepwalking. Then, when she was 65, she became a carer to her husband following a serious stroke that left him wheelchair-bound. She no longer rode her bike to the British Library every day, or went to the theatre. There was no time for reading. She began to decline and after five years was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Soon afterwards, the severe physical symptoms of her condition were joined by Parkinson's dementia, which features disturbed sleep, delusions, depression and anxiety. She died 10 years later, aged 81. Lifestyle may not have caused my mother's illness but it almost certainly hastened it. How we live matters. 'It's about building the life that puts your brain health first,' says Saunders. 'There's no magic pill coming any time soon to prevent dementia. The best hope we have is lifestyle changes.' What's more, work done now will give better memory, cognition and mental health now. 'Create an identity for yourself as someone who puts their brain first, prioritising yourself and your brain even above families, bosses, co-workers,' says Saunders. Not easy, she concedes, but vital. Over the next three months, I give it a try. Session one: nutrition for a better brain In our first session, Saunders reminds me that 20 per cent of everything we consume goes straight to our brain. 'Feed it c--p – it's going to work like c--p!' she summarises, pithily. Saunders's top tip on how to build a meal that's better for your brain is 'plan veg first'. This is because they 'give us a type of antioxidant, called polyphenols, which feed our brain. The first studies to focus on this found that people eating at least three portions of veg each day had slower rates of cognitive decline, and similar research showed green leafy veg also slowed cognitive decline. You're aiming for six to nine portions of veg a day.' I start planning our dinner plates veg first, then protein, then carbs. It's a revelation. We're having four veg (corn, grated carrots, avocados, beans) as well as our daily dose of broccoli. Protein (chicken, beef, fish) takes a quarter of the plate and in my case there's barely room for carbs, though the children and my husband still have pasta or potatoes. I replace my morning porridge with banana and yogurt, nuts and seeds for more protein, which Saunders also recommends. I succeed in 'crowding out' biscuits – snacking on nuts which provide healthy fats and in the afternoon I eat dried apricots or dates – yes, high in sugar but not processed, and full of fibre. I have to think long and hard about alcohol. The truth is, although I rarely get drunk, I drink a glass or two of wine most nights of the week. I rely on alcohol to manage stress and also to give me a feeling of being rewarded for working hard. Saunders' advice is to cut back. 'It's a neurotoxin. You know that feeling when you relax, then feel a bit woozy, then drunk. That's the impact on your brain.' I tell Saunders that when I did Dry January I felt great and she asks: 'What else could provide a different punctuation point at the end of the day? Can you start to move towards embodying someone who puts their brain first, who understands that alcohol is a neurotoxin and who needs less of it in their lives?' I stop buying wine at the supermarket on weeknights and start trying to limit wine to two evenings a week. I manage three. I am genuinely shocked at the difference it makes to the way I feel the next day. The less I drink, though, the worse I feel when I do drink – which also gives me pause for thought. Have I just got used to feeling under-par most of the time? Session two: movement, the brain's silver bullet 'Of all of the strategies we can try to reduce our dementia risk, none has more supporting scientific evidence than exercise,' Saunders tells me in our next session. It makes me sit up and listen. She explains that we're actually growing our brains when we exercise and that research has linked regular exercise to a 35 per cent lower risk of dementia. And it's not just structured exercise that makes a difference: moving about, for example doing regular housework, also has significant benefits. I'm not keen to start doing more domestic chores but I do take note. When it comes to exercise I am very faddy. One month I'm walking, the next week cycling, the next week doing weights. I've kept up swimming in cold water for 10 years now and although that's good, it's not enough. So, I start running up a huge hill near my house which is a form of resistance exercise (running counts, sort of) and getting enormously out of breath. All of these are vital for the brain. The running feels awful at first but the improvements are quick and when I get home I feel amazing. Added to the reduced drinking I'm as sharp as a pin and, my husband reports, a lot less grumpy than I used to be. Session three: A good night's sleep starts in the morning Saunders says: 'Deep sleep becomes harder to achieve as we get older but it's in this phase of sleep where the magic happens in terms of brain health. One study found that a 1 per cent reduction in deep sleep in people over 60 could lead to an increased dementia risk of 27 per cent.' That sounds pretty scary. Having been an insomniac in the past, however, I already have quite good sleep habits. I keep a regular bedtime and getting-up time and I pop a magnesium tablet (also recommended by Saunders) before bed. To this I now add 'morning light' with my uphill runs, which is good for the body's circadian rhythm. I am also keeping up the restraint around alcohol to see if this makes a difference. After a few nights of tossing and turning without a drink to clunk me on the head and get me to sleep I have started to drop off quickly and sleep deeply, waking earlier and much more refreshed. I love wine, and I couldn't bear the thought of life without a single vice, but I realise I've got to cut back further. When, a month in to the programme, I tell Saunders about my increasing clarity – the less I drink the sharper I feel – she gets excited: 'That's it working!' she says. 'That's better brain health.' She is right. Session four: stress is bad for the brain Stress has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's in multiple studies. Allow time in your schedule to care for yourself. And that doesn't mean bubble baths. When I feel I'm getting stressed, I stop and tell myself how bad it is for my brain. I try to work through the suggestions Saunders has made: I distance myself from my feelings. I ask myself why am I feeling like this and what can I do. Most of all I remain aware when it's ramping up. As a result I feel less stressed, more in control and clearer headed. Session five: start dancing to boost cognitive engagement I feel cognitively engaged – I work as a journalist talking to interesting people, I have a chatty husband and three children, all lively, entertaining young people, I read as much as I can before falling asleep. But there's always more you could be doing. For me, table tennis and padel are out, as I am simply atrocious at sports, but Saunders has another suggestion. She says: 'It's been suggested that the best way to recreate the complex interaction of physical movement, memory, decision-making and social interaction that our ancestors experienced on that savannah is to dance.' This makes a lot of sense – it requires the full spectrum of cognitive skills, complex motor, perceptual and conceptual skills. One study examined the leisure activities of a group of older people over several decades and found that dancing provided the greatest dementia risk reduction (76 per cent) of any activity studied, cognitive or physical. I realise music is missing from my life, as I barely know how to listen to it any more – the tech is too complicated – and rely on occasional bursts from the radio in the car. I brace myself and log on to Spotify which leads to dancing in the kitchen until I am caught by a horrified teenager. It makes me realise there's always more you can add and that the danger point will come when one starts to work less. Plus my husband and I will need a plan for retirement (if that time ever comes) as we plan to move to the country – we will need to find new hobbies and interests. Session six: managing my environment The news about environmental factors leaves me downhearted. There are several categories of 'dementogens' including heavy metals, chemicals such as pesticides and cleaning products, and biotoxins such as moulds. However it is the air pollution that concerns me. Like my mum before me I live in London, in zone two, and I can't really get away from it. Nevertheless I change my run to the park so I go through back streets instead of on the road. I try not to breathe too much through my mouth (easier said than done when you're running uphill). Elsewhere I stop microwaving in plastic and consider not storing food in plastic, although given my immense Tupperware collection this will be a stretch. In the fullness of time I plan to replace some cleaning products. The other factor grouped together with this is loneliness, known to increase the risk of dementia. Research published in 2023 found that the risk of developing dementia over nine years was 27 per cent higher among socially isolated older adults, compared with older adults who were not socially isolated. Other research has found that those with a strong support system are 46 per cent less likely to develop dementia. 'The best workout we can give our brains is talking to a stranger,' says Saunders. 'The brain has to process so much at this precise moment – who is this person? What do they want from me? Am I safe? Talking to a stranger every day is a great way to flex cognitive engagement.' I talk to strangers all the time anyway, much to the mortification of my husband and children. I'll keep it up. The final result After three months I am convinced that we could all benefit from following this programme. For me, the two most significant and dramatic changes have been cutting alcohol back to once a week and starting running again. The combination of these two things plus the better sleep I get as a result has given me better clarity than I had at the age of 30 when I was starting out in journalism, living the high life in London, drinking, staying up late, stressing out, keeping irregular sleep patterns – you name it, I was doing it, wrong. The exhaustion of being a working parent and later also a carer for my mother, and the stress-related drinking that went along with it, didn't help in the years that followed. Most people following her programme have one such realisation says Saunders – whether it's exercising, better nutrition, self-care or simply taking time for themselves. I'm delighted that the effects are instant. Most importantly, if I stay on this path I will reduce my risk in the future. If only my mum could have done the same – though events conspired against her. I urge anyone who has become a carer, or whose parent has become a carer, to bear this in mind. I'm grateful to Saunders for opening my eyes and encouraging me with her three-month programme. Her advice is so simple and sane: 'It's so easy. Choose those things you can keep up. There's no magic pill to reduce dementia risk. It's about long term consistency. That's the closest thing we've got to a magic bullet.'
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The #1 Habit to Break to Improve Your Memory
Reviewed by Dietitian Karen Ansel, M.S., RDNKey Points Repeating the same routine daily may harm your memory and lower cognitive function over time. Switching up activities can improve memory, brain flexibility and emotional well-being. Trying new foods, workouts and hobbies keeps your brain stimulated and strengthens though the popularity of books like Atomic Habits or habit-stacking routines have been revolutionary for people to execute healthier and happier lifestyles, doing the same routines over and over can get you stuck in a rut. Worse, that rut could actually be damaging your cognitive function and impairing your memory. Yes, it's true—getting too stuck in your same routine over and over can be a detriment to your cognitive health—and research backs it up. Here's why. Changing Your Routine Of course, some habits, like diet and exercise, can help improve your health and reduce your risk of chronic disease. But one of the best things you can do for your brain is to break out of the need to constantly set habits and avoid getting stuck in the same routine. For instance, one study found that diversifying your daily activities and changing up what you do can actually result in higher overall cognitive functioning. The study evaluated participant data from the National Survey of Daily Experiences and found that participants with diversity in seven common daily activities, including paid work, time with children, leisure, physical activities and volunteering, ended up having higher scores for cognitive and executive functioning. Episodic memory was also better for those with higher activity diversity. Even if you find yourself changing up what happens day-to-day, sometimes you can get stuck in the same routines in other areas of your life, like eating the same meals or scrolling too much on your phone. Research shows a balanced, diverse diet leads to better mental health and superior cognitive function. In fact, shifting your food choices actually results in increased activity in your posterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain in charge of your cognitive and behavioral processes. Changing your routine can seem intimidating, especially after you have worked so hard to set a healthier routine and lifestyle. However, you can still mix up your routine in clever ways and maintain your healthy habits at the same time. For example, switch up your routine in the kitchen and meal-prep different foods each week, or challenge yourself to make new healthy recipes. Try different types of movement and workouts, and give yourself the opportunity to learn new hobbies. This may be a great opportunity to finally learn that language or take guitar lessons! Keep reading to learn why changing your daily routine is the best way to improve memory. Why Changing Your Routine Is So Great for Memory Stimulates Your Brain Changing up your routine requires you to keep your brain active, which in turn helps to exercise your brain. Trying new things and switching what you do (even something as simple as making a new recipe or learning a new skill) is associated with higher levels of cognitive ability throughout life. It's so powerful that challenging the brain with new activities early in life may help protect the brain against cognitive losses in old age. Rewires Your Brain If you're doing the same things over and over, you're not giving your body and your mind the opportunity to be challenged. Exercising your mind daily and giving it new opportunities to solve new problems helps to keep your brain stimulated and challenges neuroplasticity. This is the brain's ability to rewire itself on the cellular level, which may improve memory. You May Feel Happier Not only does varying your routine improve your cognitive health, but you'll also feel happy about it. Researchers in one study found that people tend to be happier when they depart from their daily routines and give themselves new places and new experiences to explore. Even the smallest changes in your physical routine may make you happier and benefit your brain. More Tips In addition to breaking up your routine, these healthy habits can also improve your memory: Get quality sleep: Given all of the ways getting a good night's sleep benefits your health, getting your zzz's may seem like a no-brainer. But high-quality sleep can do wonders for your cognition. For example, quality sleep helps regulate your circadian rhythms, balances hormones and improves decision-making, emotional interpretation and concentration. Eat more fruits and vegetables: Research finds that eating a diet rich in antioxidant-packed foods such as fruits and vegetables may help slow down memory decline and aging. Move your body: Yes, physical movement is just as important as diet and sleep when it comes to your cognitive health. Because getting a variety of exercise is good for cognition (like a mix of aerobic and resistance training), physical activity can be a great way to switch up your routine in your daily life, benefiting your brain in multiple aspects. Chew your food: This may seem a little silly, but it's true. Eating requires you to use your chewing muscles and actually functions as exercise for your head and, evidently, your brain. So while having that protein-packed smoothie is great, be sure to also incorporate opportunities to chew those fibrous fruits and vegetables and activate those muscles. Our Expert Take Even though daily habits, like eating a balanced diet and regular exercise, can help us stay healthy, getting stuck in the same routines isn't always helpful for cognitive health. Research finds that changing up your routine—even if it's as simple as trying new recipes or challenging yourself to do new workouts—results in a higher overall cognitive function. Diverse activities can help stimulate your brain and keep it active, and can even make you feel happier. So find ways throughout your day-to-day life to try new things and change up your usual routines. Your brain will thank you for it! Read the original article on EATINGWELL
CNN
28-07-2025
- Health
- CNN
You can slow cognitive decline as you age with lifestyle changes, large study finds
FacebookTweetLink At 62, Phyllis Jones felt trapped in darkness. She was traumatized by her mother's recent death, ongoing pandemic stress and an increasingly toxic work environment. A sudden panic attack led to a medical leave. Her depression worsened until the day her 33-year-old son sadly told her, 'Mom, I didn't think I would have to be your caregiver at this stage in your life.' 'For me, that was the wake-up call,' Jones, now 66, told CNN. 'That's when I found the POINTER study and my life changed. What I accomplished during the study was phenomenal — I'm a new person.' The Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk, or US POINTER study, is the largest randomized clinical trial in the United States designed to examine whether lifestyle interventions can protect cognitive function in older adults. 'These are cognitively healthy people between the ages of 60 and 79 who, to be in the study, had to be completely sedentary and at risk for dementia due to health issues such as prediabetes and borderline high blood pressure,' said principal investigator Laura Baker, a professor of gerontology, geriatrics and internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Approximately one-half of the 2,111 study participants attended 38 structured team meetings over two years in local neighborhoods near Chicago, Houston, Winston-Salem, Sacramento, California, and Providence, Rhode Island. During each session, a trained facilitator provided guidance on how to exercise and eat for the brain, and explained the importance of socialization, the use of brain-training games, and the basics of brain health. The team leader also held the group accountable for logging blood pressure and other vitals. Physical and cognitive exams by a physician occurred every six months. At six team meetings, the other half of the study's participants learned about brain health and were encouraged to select lifestyle changes that best suited their schedules. This group was self-guided, with no goal-directed coaching. These participants also received physical and cognitive exams every six months. The two-year results of the $50 million study, funded by the Alzheimer's Association, were simultaneously presented Monday at the 2025 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto and published in the journal JAMA. 'We found people in the structured program appeared to delay normal cognitive aging by one to nearly two years over and above the self-guided group — people who did not receive the same degree of support,' Baker said. 'However, the self-guided group improved their cognitive scores over time as well.' Exercise was the first challenge. Like the other groups across the country, Jones and her Aurora, Illinois, team received YMCA memberships and lessons on how to use the gym equipment. Jones was told to use aerobic exercise to raise her heart rate for 30 minutes a day while adding strength training and stretching several times a week. At first, it wasn't easy. The study participants wore fitness trackers that monitored their activity, Jones said. 'After that first 10 minutes, I was sweating and exhausted,' she said. 'But we went slow, adding 10 minutes at a time, and we kept each other honest. Now I just love to work out.' Four weeks later, teams were given a new challenge — beginning the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND diet. The diet combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with the salt restrictions of the DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. 'They gave us a refrigerator chart with foods to limit and foods to enjoy,' Jones said. 'We had to eat berries and vegetables most days, including green leafy veggies, which was a separate item. We had to have 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil once every day.' Foods to limit included fried food, processed meat, dairy, cheese and butter. Restrictions were also in place for sugary sweets. 'But we could have dessert four times a week,' Jones added. 'That's awesome because you're not completely depriving yourself.' Another pillar of the program was requiring study participants to familiarize themselves with their vital signs, Wake Forest's Baker said. 'If at any point we asked them, 'What's your average blood pressure?' they should be able to tell us,' she said. 'We encouraged people to monitor their blood sugar as well.' Later came brain training, via memberships to a popular, Web-based cognitive training app. While some scientists say the benefits of such online brain programs have yet to be proven, Jones said she enjoyed the mental stimulation. Becoming better at socializing was another key part of the program. The researchers tasked teams with assignments, such as speaking to strangers or going out with friends. 'I found my best friend, Patty Kelly, on my team,' Jones said. 'At 81, she's older than me, but we do all sorts of things together — in fact, she's coming with me to Toronto when I speak at the Alzheimer's conference. 'Isolation is horrible for your brain,' she added. 'But once you get to a point where you are moving and eating healthy, your energy level changes, and I think you automatically become more social.' As the study progressed, the researchers reduced check-ins to twice a month, then once a month, Baker said. 'We were trying to get people to say, 'I am now a healthy person,' because if you believe that, you start making decisions which agree with the new perception of yourself,' she said. 'So in the beginning, we were holding their hands, but by the end, they were flying on their own,' Baker added. 'And that was the whole idea — get them to fly on their own.' Because researchers tracked each team closely, the study has a wealth of data that has yet to be mined. 'On any given day, I could go into our web-based data system and see how much exercise someone's doing, whether they've logged into brain training that day, what's their latest MIND diet score, and whether they'd attended the last team meeting,' Baker said. 'We also have sleep data, blood biomarkers, brain scans and other variables, which will provide more clarity on which parts of the intervention were most successful.' Digging deeper into the data is important, Baker says, because the study has limitations, such as the potential for a well-known phenomenon called the practice effect. 'Even though we use different stimuli within tests, the act of taking a test over and over makes you more familiar with the situation — you know where the clinic is, where to park, you're more comfortable with your examiner,' she said. 'You're not really smarter, you're just more relaxed and comfortable, so therefore you do better on the test,' Baker said. 'So while we're thrilled both groups in US POINTER appear to have improved their global cognition (thinking, learning and problem-solving), we have to be cautious in our interpretations.' It's important to note the POINTER study was not designed to provide the more immersive lifestyle interventions needed for people with early stages of Alzheimer's, said Dr. Dean Ornish, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Ornish published a June 2024 clinical trial that found a strict vegan diet, daily exercise, structured stress reduction and frequent socialization could often stop the decline or even improve cognition in those already experiencing from early-stage Alzheimer's disease, not just for those at risk for it. 'The US POINTER randomized clinical trial is a landmark study showing that moderate lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, socialization and more can improve cognition in those at risk for dementia,' said Ornish, creator of the Ornish diet and lifestyle medicine program and coauthor of 'Undo It!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases.' 'It complements our randomized clinical trial findings which found that more intensive multiple lifestyle changes often improve cognition in those already diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease,' Ornish said. 'But the US POINTER study showed that more moderate lifestyle changes may be sufficient to help prevent it.' In reality, two years isn't sufficient to track brain changes over time, said study coauthor Maria Carillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Association. 'We really want to make recommendations that are evidence based,' Carillo told CNN. 'That's why we have invested another $40 million in a four-year follow-up, and I believe over 80% of the original participants have joined. 'Brain health is a long game,' she added. 'It's hard to track, but over time, change can be meaningful.'
CNN
28-07-2025
- Health
- CNN
You can slow cognitive decline as you age with lifestyle changes, large study finds
At 62, Phyllis Jones felt trapped in darkness. She was traumatized by her mother's recent death, ongoing pandemic stress and an increasingly toxic work environment. A sudden panic attack led to a medical leave. Her depression worsened until the day her 33-year-old son sadly told her, 'Mom, I didn't think I would have to be your caregiver at this stage in your life.' 'For me, that was the wake-up call,' Jones, now 66, told CNN. 'That's when I found the POINTER study and my life changed. What I accomplished during the study was phenomenal — I'm a new person.' The Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk, or US POINTER study, is the largest randomized clinical trial in the United States designed to examine whether lifestyle interventions can protect cognitive function in older adults. 'These are cognitively healthy people between the ages of 60 and 79 who, to be in the study, had to be completely sedentary and at risk for dementia due to health issues such as prediabetes and borderline high blood pressure,' said principal investigator Laura Baker, a professor of gerontology, geriatrics and internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Approximately one-half of the 2,111 study participants attended 38 structured team meetings over two years in local neighborhoods near Chicago, Houston, Winston-Salem, Sacramento, California, and Providence, Rhode Island. During each session, a trained facilitator provided guidance on how to exercise and eat for the brain, and explained the importance of socialization, the use of brain-training games, and the basics of brain health. The team leader also held the group accountable for logging blood pressure and other vitals. Physical and cognitive exams by a physician occurred every six months. At six team meetings, the other half of the study's participants learned about brain health and were encouraged to select lifestyle changes that best suited their schedules. This group was self-guided, with no goal-directed coaching. These participants also received physical and cognitive exams every six months. The two-year results of the $50 million study, funded by the Alzheimer's Association, were simultaneously presented Monday at the 2025 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto and published in the journal JAMA. 'We found people in the structured program appeared to delay normal cognitive aging by one to nearly two years over and above the self-guided group — people who did not receive the same degree of support,' Baker said. 'However, the self-guided group improved their cognitive scores over time as well.' Exercise was the first challenge. Like the other groups across the country, Jones and her Aurora, Illinois, team received YMCA memberships and lessons on how to use the gym equipment. Jones was told to use aerobic exercise to raise her heart rate for 30 minutes a day while adding strength training and stretching several times a week. At first, it wasn't easy. The study participants wore fitness trackers that monitored their activity, Jones said. 'After that first 10 minutes, I was sweating and exhausted,' she said. 'But we went slow, adding 10 minutes at a time, and we kept each other honest. Now I just love to work out.' Four weeks later, teams were given a new challenge — beginning the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND diet. The diet combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with the salt restrictions of the DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. 'They gave us a refrigerator chart with foods to limit and foods to enjoy,' Jones said. 'We had to eat berries and vegetables most days, including green leafy veggies, which was a separate item. We had to have 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil once every day.' Foods to limit included fried food, processed meat, dairy, cheese and butter. Restrictions were also in place for sugary sweets. 'But we could have dessert four times a week,' Jones added. 'That's awesome because you're not completely depriving yourself.' Another pillar of the program was requiring study participants to familiarize themselves with their vital signs, Wake Forest's Baker said. 'If at any point we asked them, 'What's your average blood pressure?' they should be able to tell us,' she said. 'We encouraged people to monitor their blood sugar as well.' Later came brain training, via memberships to a popular, Web-based cognitive training app. While some scientists say the benefits of such online brain programs have yet to be proven, Jones said she enjoyed the mental stimulation. Becoming better at socializing was another key part of the program. The researchers tasked teams with assignments, such as speaking to strangers or going out with friends. 'I found my best friend, Patty Kelly, on my team,' Jones said. 'At 81, she's older than me, but we do all sorts of things together — in fact, she's coming with me to Toronto when I speak at the Alzheimer's conference. 'Isolation is horrible for your brain,' she added. 'But once you get to a point where you are moving and eating healthy, your energy level changes, and I think you automatically become more social.' As the study progressed, the researchers reduced check-ins to twice a month, then once a month, Baker said. 'We were trying to get people to say, 'I am now a healthy person,' because if you believe that, you start making decisions which agree with the new perception of yourself,' she said. 'So in the beginning, we were holding their hands, but by the end, they were flying on their own,' Baker added. 'And that was the whole idea — get them to fly on their own.' Because researchers tracked each team closely, the study has a wealth of data that has yet to be mined. 'On any given day, I could go into our web-based data system and see how much exercise someone's doing, whether they've logged into brain training that day, what's their latest MIND diet score, and whether they'd attended the last team meeting,' Baker said. 'We also have sleep data, blood biomarkers, brain scans and other variables, which will provide more clarity on which parts of the intervention were most successful.' Digging deeper into the data is important, Baker says, because the study has limitations, such as the potential for a well-known phenomenon called the practice effect. 'Even though we use different stimuli within tests, the act of taking a test over and over makes you more familiar with the situation — you know where the clinic is, where to park, you're more comfortable with your examiner,' she said. 'You're not really smarter, you're just more relaxed and comfortable, so therefore you do better on the test,' Baker said. 'So while we're thrilled both groups in US POINTER appear to have improved their global cognition (thinking, learning and problem-solving), we have to be cautious in our interpretations.' It's important to note the POINTER study was not designed to provide the more immersive lifestyle interventions needed for people with early stages of Alzheimer's, said Dr. Dean Ornish, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Ornish published a June 2024 clinical trial that found a strict vegan diet, daily exercise, structured stress reduction and frequent socialization could often stop the decline or even improve cognition in those already experiencing from early-stage Alzheimer's disease, not just for those at risk for it. 'The US POINTER randomized clinical trial is a landmark study showing that moderate lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, socialization and more can improve cognition in those at risk for dementia,' said Ornish, creator of the Ornish diet and lifestyle medicine program and coauthor of 'Undo It!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases.' 'It complements our randomized clinical trial findings which found that more intensive multiple lifestyle changes often improve cognition in those already diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease,' Ornish said. 'But the US POINTER study showed that more moderate lifestyle changes may be sufficient to help prevent it.' In reality, two years isn't sufficient to track brain changes over time, said study coauthor Maria Carillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Association. 'We really want to make recommendations that are evidence based,' Carillo told CNN. 'That's why we have invested another $40 million in a four-year follow-up, and I believe over 80% of the original participants have joined. 'Brain health is a long game,' she added. 'It's hard to track, but over time, change can be meaningful.'
