A combination of healthy activities including exercise, nutritious diet, computer brain games and socializing can improve cognitive performance in people at risk for dementia, according to a large new study.
The study, conducted in five locations across the United States over two years, is the biggest randomized trial to examine whether healthy behaviors protect brain health.
“It confirms that paying attention to things like physical activity and vascular risk factors and diet are all really important ways to maintain brain health,” said Dr. Kristine Yaffe, an expert in cognitive aging at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study.
The results were presented on Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto and published in the journal JAMA.
Big new study shows that a program helping folks do the stuff they already know they should be doing — eating well, exercising, using their brains — can indeed delay dementia. By @PamBelluck for the NYT. https://t.co/nCLiu1QHXj
— Paula Span (@paula_span) July 29, 2025