Is It Possible to Reverse Cognitive Decline?

In this study, older adults with early signs of memory issues or Alzheimer’s disease followed a plan that included changes to their diet, taking supplements, exercising, managing stress, and getting social support. The results showed that these combined lifestyle changes helped improve their brain function.

Subject of Study

The goal of this study was to find out if a lifestyle program with several components could help improve thinking and memory in people who have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

To measure their thinking skills, four different tests were used:

1. A test specifically designed for Alzheimer’s (ADAS-Cog)
2. A test that looks at overall mental change (CGIC)
3. A test that rates memory and thinking abilities in various areas (CDR-SB)
4. A general rating for dementia severity (CDR Global).

The study included 51 participants, with an average age of 74 (32 men and 19 women), who were recruited from the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, San Diego, and Reno. All participants had either MCI or early Alzheimer’s.

How Was the Research Conducted?

In this 20-week study, participants were randomly divided into two groups: one received a special program (the intervention group), while the other group (the control group) continued their usual lifestyle without any changes.

The intervention group followed a specific plan that included:

• Diet: They ate a low-fat vegan diet (about 14%–18% of their calories from fat, 16%–18% from protein, and 63%–68% from carbs), focusing on whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
• Supplements: Each day, they took a multivitamin (without iron), fish oil (for omega-3s), curcumin (an anti-inflammatory compound), vitamin C, vitamin B12, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, lion’s mane (a medicinal mushroom), and probiotics.