O4‐11‐03: U.S. Pointer: Study Design and Launch

Healthy Lifestyle and Cognition: Interaction between Diet and Physical Activity

“…In general, these data provide evidence that a longer-term combined nutrition and exercise intervention elicit stronger positive results than each intervention in isolation. Several trials examining multifaceted approaches of exercise combined with nutrition on cognitive function are currently ongoing, including the Protein Omega-3 aNd vitamin D Exercise Research (PONDER, 6-month multimodal exercise program combined with omega-3 PUFA, vitamin D and protein supplementation compared to a stretching/flexibility exercise control program) [93], SYNchronizing Exercises, Remedies in GaIt and Cognition (SYNERGIC, 6-month combined aerobic and resistance exercise program with and without cognitive training and vitamin D supplementation) [94], and US Study to Protect Brain Health through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (US POINTER: 2-year self-guided versus structured multimodal lifestyle intervention) [95] studies. While it is clear that more research is needed into the potential synergistic effect of diet and exercise on mechanisms that effect cognition, such as cerebral blood flow, neurotransmitter release, and brain structure and function changes, results from ongoing studies may provide further evidence of the interaction.…”

Genetic risk, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, and cognitive decline in African Americans and European Americans

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] We have shown that individuals with four or five healthy factors-including being physically and cognitively active, consuming a high-quality diet, not smoking, and limiting alcohol usehave 60% lower risk of AD dementia than individuals with none or one healthy factor. 5 In parallel, several clinical trials are ongoing around the world (World Wide FINGERS), 7 including U.S. POINTER in the United States, 8 to establish causal inferences of lifestyle factors on the prevention of AD dementia in older adults. 9 Positive findings from these clini-cal trials would have paramount importance for public health because, in the absence of treatment, 10 these interventions will help prevent cognitive impairment in a vulnerable population of older adults.…”

Lifestyle interventions.

“…Further, it was demonstrated that improvements in processing speed were greater in individuals with fewer structural brain changes at baseline (Trichopoulou et al, 2003), suggesting that targeted strategies may be more effective if started early. Several trials examining multifaceted approaches of exercise combined with nutrition on neurocognitive function are currently ongoing and include various modes of exercise (e.g., aerobic, resistance, yoga) as well as diet (e.g., omega-3s, protein, vitamin D; Baker et al, 2019;Macpherson et al, 2019;Montero-Odasso et al, 2018).…”