According to new research published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, adopting certain healthy lifestyle habits can significantly improve brain function in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.
This is the first time that a sustained lifestyle intervention, without drugs, has shown to have an impact on the progression of Alzheimer’s.
For the study, 51 people between 45 and 90 years, with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, were randomly assigned to either an intensive lifestyle intervention group or a control group. Those in the control group were asked not to make any lifestyle changes during the 20-week trial.
The lifestyle group participated in an intensive programme with four components: (1) a whole-foods, minimally processed plant-based diet low in harmful fats, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and sweeteners (mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes); (2) moderate aerobic exercise and strength training for at least 30 minutes per day; (3) stress management, including meditation, stretching, breathing and imagery, for one hour per day; and (4) support groups for patients and their spouses for one hour, three times a week.
Results after 20 weeks showed significant improvements in cognition and function as well as in several key blood-based biomarkers among the intervention group versus the control group. In contrast, patients in the control group showed overall worsening in all four measures of cognition and function.
Measure of amyloid protein, which builds up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, improved in the lifestyle group, but worsened in the control group. Also, the gut microbiome of the lifestyle group showed a significant decrease in organisms that raise the risk of Alzheimer's disease and an increase in organisms that are protective against Alzheimer's disease. The more closely these patients followed the lifestyle habits, the greater the beneficial impact on cognition and function.
Several patients in the intervention group reported being able to read again which they had been unable to do because they could not follow story lines and retain information.