Alzheimer’s disease could be halted by making sweeping lifestyle changes, a trial suggests. 

Individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a dementia precursor who exercised, meditated daily, switched to a plant-based diet, and went into therapy once weekly saw marked improvements to their speech, cognition, and memory when compared to patients who continued with their routine. 

One of the patients in the trial said it reversed her symptoms and that she felt “much better” since beginning the intervention. 

When she received a diagnosis of dementia, Californian Cici Zerbe worried she would end up like her own mother, reliant on 24/7 care and a nursing home. But she said that thanks to therapy, she can still live independently and on walks each morning.

Exercise and diet impact heart health, and blood circulation is thought to play a role in dementia development.

It might be that by making their hearts healthier, participants improved blood flow to the brain, halting symptoms of the disease.

Prior studies have linked blood flow and dementia. When arteries are clogged up by obesity, high cholesterol, or tobacco use, the brain doesn’t get as much blood. 

Over time, this stress can affect brain tissue, which might be one of several factors that affect your likelihood of developing dementia.

If people improve blood flow by changing exercise and diet, they might get more energy and blood back to the brain, which could help delay some symptoms of dementia.

Studies like these that look for alternate ways to treat the debilitating disease, which affects 6.9 million Americans, have become increasingly popular as there has been little success with other therapies, including drugs.

Currently, only two drugs approved by the FDA can improve some disease symptoms. However, one of those has seized production amid controversy. With no treatment, individuals with Alzheimer’s can live as long as 20 years, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. During that time, their memory, sleep quality, and attention span slowly erode as the disease damages increasingly more and more tissue in the brain. 

Dr. Dean Ornish, president and founder of the nonprofit Preventative Medicine Research Institute and University of California, San Francisco, who directed the new study, theorized that altering one’s habits could interrupt the course of disease. To test this theory, Ornish and his colleagues enrolled 51 patients in the trial, averaging age 73.

All patients who participated in the study had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but were early on in the disease’s course, so their symptoms weren’t highly advanced.

The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, only examined the effects over 20 weeks.

Half of the participants—or 26 people—were put on a new lifestyle plan. They ate prepackaged vegetarian meals, did strength training three times weekly, walked every day, meditated daily, and participated in group therapy with loved ones three times weekly.

Meals contained primarily vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and soy products and were low in added fruits and sweeteners. They were also given eight supplements to take daily.

A plant-based diet has been linked to a lower risk of developing dementia, likely because fruits and vegetables have more nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber than wheat and meat products, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. These nutrients support the body’s overall health and likely protect the brain.

In exercise terms, the participants didn’t have to start training like Olympians.

Instead, researchers asked that participants walk for at least 30 minutes daily and perform gentle strength training exercises with a nurse three times weekly.

This was incorporated because, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, research has shown that regular, consistent exercise can reduce the risk of developing dementia by 45 percent.

Additionally, participants were instructed to do yoga, meditate, or do breathing exercises while on Zoom with a specialist for one hour daily to manage stress.

Chronic stress has been linked to numerous health problems, including dementia.

This is because stress causes the body to become inflamed, which over a lifetime can increase the likelihood of dementia and weigh on our brain tissue, researchers wrote.

The last piece was group therapy. Participants were asked to bring their spouses to treatment, discuss their cognitive and emotional well-being, and have a counselor present.

The researchers wrote that this was to foster community and build communication skills.

Social isolation has been shown to increase the risk of dementia, wrote researchers, likely because isolation causes them to make unhealthy choices like avoiding exercise, drinking, or smoking.

The Alzheimer’s Society estimated it can increase the likelihood of dementia by 60 percent.

The other half of the participants in the study — 25 people — lived their lives as usual.

Both groups were asked about the quality of their lives, and several tests measuring cognitive decline were performed at the start and end of the study.

One measure included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which gives patients a score based on how well they complete a worksheet on attention, drawing, memory, language, and the ability to make connections between concepts.

The research found that 71 percent of the individuals who were treated performed better on cognitive tests than on their primary scores.

Over the same period, 66 percent of the individuals who didn’t change their lifestyles got lower scores on cognitive exams — meaning they grew worse.

The lead researcher, Ornish, said, “This is not the study to end all studies. But it shows for the first time that intensive lifestyle changes can improve cognition and function in patients who have Alzheimer’s.” 

Other experts not involved in the research were cautious about the discoveries. 

“This does not provide definitive answers yet,” said Laura Baker, Wake University School of Medicine professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine, “The idea that lifestyle intervention can reverse dementia or cognitive impairment — I just don’t think there’s enough evidence for that.”

Even if the results don’t prove to reverse Alzheimer’s, they remain promising, explained Cornell preventative neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson. Isaacson said of a patient he treated, “The results we’ve seen with Simon and some other patients in our research are extremely exciting.”

To summarize the dementia-busing routine:

• Walk or do moderate cardio for at least 30 minutes daily
• Practice meditation, breathwork, yoga, or stretching for an hour a day
• Do mild strength training at least three times weekly
• See a therapist attend support groups at least three times per week

• Eat plant-based meals comprised of mostly vegetables, whole grains, fruits, soy products, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and take supplements like Vitamin C and Vitamin B12.