A two-year study suggests that lifestyle changes can improve cognition in older adults at risk for dementia.
The LatAm-FINGERS study involved people across 11 Latin American countries.
Researchers compared two programs, with the biggest gains appearing in the group that received more coaching, supervision, and social support.
Rather than simply translating the American program, researchers adjusted it for local cultures and daily life.
Exercise included activities such as salsa, tango, and group workouts in public parks.
The nutrition plan was also modified to fit regional foods. Avocado, quinoa, açaí, aguaymanto, chia, and pumpkin seeds were among the foods incorporated into the approach.
Researchers also adapted study materials for local communities and gave additional help to participants who were less comfortable with digital technology.
Brain Health Benefits Across Communities
The study included people with varied racial and ethnic backgrounds, education levels, and socioeconomic circumstances.
Researchers said the results suggest that lifestyle-based brain health programs can work across communities with different cultures and access to resources.
The approach combines several factors linked to brain health, including exercise, nutrition, cognitive training, cardiovascular risk management, and social interaction.
Structured Support Produced Larger Gains
The analysis included 1,065 participants at 12 research sites in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a Systematic Lifestyle Intervention (SLI) or a Flexible Lifestyle Intervention (FLI).
The 539 people in the SLI group received ongoing coaching, supervised exercise, nutrition counseling, computerized cognitive training, cardiovascular monitoring, and 38 group meetings.
The 526 people in the FLI group received general lifestyle advice and periodic health education.
They attended four group meetings during the study but did not receive continuing coaching or supervision.
Greater Improvement in Cognition by 55 Percent
After two years, the SLI group showed significantly stronger cognitive improvements than the FLI group.
Global cognition improved 55% more in the structured-intervention group.
Participants also had larger gains in memory, executive function, and processing speed.
The findings suggest that combining healthy habits with consistent guidance and social support may offer a useful approach to reducing cognitive decline in older adults at risk.
Researchers believe targeting several risk factors at the same time could be especially helpful because dementia is influenced by multiple areas of health and lifestyle.
