Lifestyle changes in 4 areas may improve brain health, major US study finds
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Brain aging: Lifestyle changes in 4 areas may delay cognitive decline
The results of the U.S. POINTER study are published in JAMA. 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. The extra benefit was observed regardless of sex, ethnicity, genetic risk or cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels), the researchers said. The study 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.
“More than 30% of participants were from groups that have been historically underrepresented in dementia research,” Stratton noted.
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.”
The 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).
Participants in the structured program exhibited significantly greater improvement in composite cognitive scores than the self-guided group after a two-year trial period.
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.
The U.S. POINTER trial was a multidimensional program involving exercise, diet, regular cognitive challenges, social engagement, and health monitoring.
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.
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’s recommended behavioral interventions.
This 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 Today.
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 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 said.
Ryan 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.”