Adam’s Journal
Last week, I saw a news report about new findings on preventing dementia. The story said a large study had found that behavioral changes in older people could help reduce the chances of cognitive decline. Please tell me more!
Dr. Scofield Prescribes
Researchers wanted to see if some of the most commonly recommended lifestyle modifications would make a difference in people who are at risk for dementia. To do so, they enrolled more than 2,000 Americans aged 60-79 who had sedentary lifestyles, suboptimal diets and two other dementia risk factors, like high blood pressure and a family history of dementia.
None of the participants were cognitively impaired.
Researchers broke the participants into two groups. The first followed a structured program: a healthy diet mapped out by a dietitian, eight weekly exercise sessions, and three weekly cognitive training sessions.
Researchers gave the second group educational materials and resources and asked them to create and follow their own self-guided programs. After two years, the scientists tested both groups’ cognitive scores to see if things had changed. As it turns out, they had.
Both groups showed considerable cognitive improvement since the outset of the study, with the structured group showing greater gains. However, the difference between the two groups was quite small, with each making noticeable strides.
This study provides another piece of evidence that there are things we can all do to help ward off cognitive decline. And the number of folks who stayed in the study from beginning to end – a whopping 89% – reflects what I see in the clinic (and life): Not only is there a strong desire among the aging population to avoid dementia, but people are increasingly willing to make changes in their lives to cut risk.
This study leaves many questions to be answered. It doesn’t establish which of the many lifestyle changes had the most or least impact on cognitive improvement. It doesn’t rule out the possibility that improvements on cognitive testing were due to the “practice effect,” which is when people perform better on tests simply because they’ve grown accustomed to taking them repeatedly. And the study had no controls (similarly situated individuals whose lifestyles didn’t change), so it can’t be compared to the general population.
Still, it’s encouraging to see yet another indication that when it comes to growing older, our fates aren’t sealed, even in our sixth and seventh decades. For those willing to do the work – exercising, eating better, keeping our minds engaged – there’s a path to healthier aging.
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Dr. Hal Scofield is a physician-scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and he also serves as Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Adam Cohen is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Send your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
