Good Lifestyle

Did you know that a simple snack, like a handful of berries Or pacan , can help keep your brain as clear as an accent? You may also have read on the study which revealed that the thermostat of your home could be Weakening your brain and attention. More and more research is presented on brain health and, therefore, neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's dementia, including the best prevention route.

As Best life previously reported, " More than six million Americans Living with dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that takes more than 100,000 lives each year, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is estimated that almost half of American adults over 55 will develop dementia. »»

A meta-analysis revealed that "it takes on average four years To diagnose dementia in patients, even in the presence of early symptoms. But what is even more alarming, according to the Alzheimer's association , is that Alzheimer's disease (the most common type of dementia) starts 20 years or more before the symptoms are manifested. »»

Although dementia has no healing, medical interventions and lifestyle can help slow the progression of the disease. In fact, a new study published in the journal Jama have found that the adoption of these practices earlier in life can even help reduce your risk of developing dementia later.

In relation: Doctors warn that common drugs can be linked to the risk of dementia .

The $ 50 million clinical trial was funded by the Alzheimer's association and is called "American study to protect brain health by lifestyle intervention to reduce risk" or pointer. This is the largest intervention study on lifestyle for Alzheimer's disease conducted in the United States

The results have shown that obtaining regular physical activity, adhesion to the food diet, brain exercise and social maintenance had "a statistically significant improvement" to slow down and prevent cognitive decline.

The research team, including the principal author Laura Baker , PhD, professor of internal medicine at the University of Medicine of Wake Forest, presented its results earlier this week at the 2025 International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association in Toronto.

"The non-pharmacological interventions targeting the modifiable risk factors are promising, relatively low, accessible and safe approaches," they said about the results of the study.

The large clinical trial has scored 2,111 adults aged 60 to 79. Researchers specifically asked participants living sedentary lifestyles and consuming "sub-optimal" diets, both known to increase the risk of dementia. In addition, participants had to meet two additional inclusion criteria linked to the family history of memory disorders, the underlying health risks (that is to say prediabetic), the race and ethnicity and at age.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two intervention groups. While the two cohorts "encouraged an increase in physical and cognitive activity, healthy food, social commitment and cardiovascular health monitoring", they "differ in structure, intensity and responsibility", according to the study.

The structured group participated in 38 team meetings over two years. These were led by trained facilitators who have been responsible for responsibility. They educated the participants on the diet of the spirit and the health of the brain and applied vital monitoring of oneself (pulse rhythm, blood pressure, body temperature, etc.).

This group has also received free subscriptions for a mobile cognitive training application and the gymnasium, as well as exercise plans focused on aerobic, resistance and flexibility training. Every six months, the participants met a doctor for physical and cognitive examinations.

In the meantime, The self-guided group attended six team meetings over two years. However, in these contexts, facilitators simply "offered encouragement without coaching led by objectives", according to the study. Participants did not receive specialized instructions such as their peers, but received educational equipment and a gift card of $ 75 "to support the change in behavior".

While the two intervention groups have shown cognitive improvement at the end of the two years, the structured group has considerably surpassed the self -guided group.

"Among the elderly people at risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a structured and higher intensity intervention had a statistically significant advantage over global cognition compared to an unstructured self-guided intervention," they said.

Consequently, the study concluded that "the structured intervention of the lifestyle" in the following four areas can lead to an improvement in cognitive decline and the risk of dementia:

• High intensity moderate physical exercise
• Membership of Mental food (A combination of Mediterranean and dashboard regimes)
• Cognitive challenge and social commitment
• Cardiovascular health monitoring

In relation: Doctors warn that you don't get enough of this vitamin to protect against strokes and dementia .

For the future, researchers plan to extend these results with a four -year follow -up study.

"We really want to make recommendations based on evidence", co -author Maria Carillo , director of sciences of the Alzheimer's association, said Cnn . “This is why we have invested an additional $ 40 million in a four -year follow -up, and I believe that more than 80% of the original participants joined.

"Brain health is a long game," she said. "It's difficult to follow, but over time, change can be significant."