Lifestyle Intervention Improves Cognition in the Elderly
The program was not associated with any adverse event other than musculoskeletal soreness from exercise activities. It also appeared to be practical and made a lasting impact, which was a gratifying finding, said Dr. Kivipelto. At the end of the study, intervention-group participants had decreased their body mass index by about 0.8 kg/m2, which was significantly more than for control-group subjects. Most participants reported that they were still eating fish and exercising at least twice per week and eating vegetables every day.
“FINGER is the first long-term trial to show that a multidomain intervention like this one can maintain and improve cognitive decline,” she said. “It is important that we’ve also seen [that] the program is feasible, has no obvious side effects, and that it’s not limited to cognitive domains. It also has a positive impact on function and quality of life.”
—Michele G. Sullivan
