{"id":303320,"date":"2025-07-30T07:23:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T07:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/303320\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T07:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T07:23:16","slug":"lifestyle-changes-in-4-areas-may-delay-cognitive-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/303320\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifestyle changes in 4 areas may delay cognitive decline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/seniors-arm-band-exercises-1296x728-header-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"Two older adults doing arm band stretching exercises outside in a park\" class=\"css-1jytyml\"\/><a class=\"icon-hl-pinterest css-11oz8gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-event=\"Any Page|Image Pinterest Click|Icon Clicked\" data-element-event=\"OPEN|CONTENTBLOCK|Any Page|Article Body|BUTTON|Image Widget Pinterest Click|\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Flifestyle-changes-4-areas-diet-exercise-may-improve-brain-health-aging-pointer-trial&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.post.rvohealth.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2025%2F07%2Fseniors-arm-band-exercises-1296x728-header-1024x575.jpg&amp;description=Brain%20aging%3A%20Lifestyle%20changes%20in%204%20areas%20may%20delay%20cognitive%20decline\" title=\"Share on Pinterest\" data-pin-custom=\"true\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/seniors-arm-band-exercises-1296x728-header-1024x575.jpg\">Share on Pinterest<\/a>Lifestyle changes in key areas may help delay cognitive decline, according to a new trial. Maskot\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A program of exercise, nutrition, cognitive and social challenges, and health coaching resulted in improved cognition scores for people at risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementias.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The two-year trial involved lifestyle changes only, without added medications.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Some participants followed the program self-guided, but those receiving the program in a structured format improved more, though all participants\u2019 cognitive scores improved.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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 trial.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/us-pointer\/home.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">U.S. POINTER trial<\/a> was a multidimensional program involving exercise, diet, regular cognitive challenges, social engagement, and health monitoring.<\/p>\n<p>The 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, program.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Participants in the structured program exhibited significantly greater improvement in composite cognitive scores than the self-guided group after a two-year trial period.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cognitive scores for both groups improved.<\/p>\n<p>Bridget Stratton of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Alzheimer\u2019s Association<\/a> told Medical News Today, \u201cU.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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than 30% of participants were from groups that have been historically underrepresented in dementia research,\u201d Stratton noted.<\/p>\n<p>The results of the U.S. POINTER study are published in <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jama\/fullarticle\/10.1001\/jama.2025.12923?guestAccessKey=6d3f2f02-03db-4f9a-87af-bf467976588d&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=072825\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">JAMA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For 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\u2019s recommended behavioral interventions.<\/p>\n<p>This aligns with what <a href=\"https:\/\/caringene.com\/about-us\/john-enwere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">John Enwere<\/a>, founder of Caringene, a Seattle-based home care company for older people, who was not involved in the study, has seen. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve seen clients thrive when a family member or caregiver is both engaging and thoroughly executes their personal care plan,\u201d he told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n<p>For 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 class=\"content-link css-90fpmc sl\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/153998\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a healthy diet<\/a>, and cognitive and social stimulation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe extra benefit [of a structured program] was observed regardless of sex, ethnicity, genetic risk (apolipoprotein-e4 genotype) or cardiometabolic health (<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc sl\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/270644\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blood pressure<\/a>, cholesterol, glucose levels),\u201d Stratton said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/clavahealth.com\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Ryan Arnold, MD<\/a>, founder of Clava Health, who was not involved in the study, noted to MNT that the self-directed group \u201ccrucially lacked the dedicated coaching team and physician follow-up afforded to the structured intervention group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis vital distinction,\u201d he added, \u201cunderscores 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cPOINTER\u2019s results affirm that structure and coaching are not just nice to have, they are necessary,\u201d Enwere said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>U.S. POINTER demonstrates that its multimodal approach can work in patients\u2019 family homes with caregivers, but may be adapted for residents at skilled nursing facilities.<\/p>\n<p>Enwere pointed out, however, while care facilities might be able to manage such interventions, \u201cfrom what I\u2019ve seen, they do not often have the staff ratios or consistency useful in enforcing deep lifestyle changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cFor adherence to more complex components \u2014 particularly supplementation to guide vascular and metabolic risk factors, and structured physical training \u2014 a team-based approach is likely most beneficial,\u201d Ryan noted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe magic occurs,\u201d Enwere said, \u201cwhen the environment meets the clients where they are, physically and cognitively.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As to ideal settings, he suggested patients\u2019 homes, community centers, or a hybrid of the two, in order to leverage activities such as senior exercise classes or cooking groups.<\/p>\n<p>Extensive research has been conducted on the causes and potential solutions for Alzheimer\u2019s and related dementias. However, progress has been slow. This may be attributed to a long-standing focus on pharmaceutical solutions for the condition.<\/p>\n<p>It is believed there are multiple pathologies that lead to ADRD, and thus, as the authors of the U.S. POINTER trial assert, \u201cThere is a critical need for interventions that target several risk pathways simultaneously.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(24)01296-0\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Lancet<\/a> report identified 14 modifiable ADRD risk factors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pharmaceutical approach to Alzheimer\u2019s 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,\u201d Arnold said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cMy professional stance on treating Alzheimer\u2019s from a non-pharmaceutical angle is one of strong support and profound optimism,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow css-34gtoi\">\n<p>\u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 John Enwere<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Arnold asserted the U.S. POINTER results, \u201creinforce the core functional and integrative medicine principle of simultaneously addressing multiple contributing factors to health and disease.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestLifestyle changes in key areas may help delay cognitive decline, according to a new trial. Maskot\/Getty&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-303320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114940988912113015","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}