Lifestyle Tweaks May Lessen Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

A study from Australian National University published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that lifestyle modifications may help to improve cognition in older adults experiencing a cognitive decline that foreshadows dementia, reports The Statesman . Investigators randomized 119 individuals older than 65 and experiencing cognitive decline to a control group or an intervention cohort for eight weeks. Controls received online information related to dementia and lifestyle risk factors, Mediterranean diet, physical activity, and cognitive engagement. Subjects were told to implement this information into their own lifestyles, while the intervention group received the same online information, as well as active components to help with implementation — dietitian sessions, an exercise physiologist session, and online brain training. During six months of follow-up, participants in the intervention group were able to improve their lifestyle and had higher cognition scores than the controls. "Results support the hypothesis that improvements in lifestyle risk factors for dementia can lead to improvements in cognition over a short time frame with a population experiencing cognitive decline," the authors wrote. "Outcomes from this trial support the conduct of a larger and longer trial with this participant group."