Boosting Cognitive Health Through Lifestyle Interventions

A cohort study from the Rush Memory and Aging Project aimed to explore the association between lifestyle interventions and cognitive function in older adults, specifically considering the influence of dementia-related brain pathologies. The study, led by Klodian Dhana, MD, PhD, and colleagues, included 754 deceased individuals with data on lifestyle factors, cognitive testing, and neuropathologic evaluations. The study team used factors including physical activity, diet, and cognitive activity to define a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Dhana and colleagues discovered that a higher lifestyle score was associated with better cognitive function, even after adjusting for common dementia-related brain pathologies. The study suggests that a healthy lifestyle may provide a cognitive reserve that helps maintain cognitive abilities independently of these pathologies. This highlights the importance of lifestyle interventions as a preventive measure for cognitive decline in older adults.