Date:
September 6, 2026der adults at risk of dementia improved their memory and thinking after following lifestyle programs combining exercise, healthy eating, cognitive training, and social engagement. Those who received regular coaching and structured support improved substantially more than participants given general health advice.
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Older adults at risk of dementia improved their memory, thinking skills, and overall cognitive performance after taking part in two culturally adapted lifestyle programs across 11 Latin American countries. The strongest benefits were seen among participants who received more structured guidance, including regular coaching and support.
The Alzheimer’s Association-funded study, known as the Latin American Initiative for Lifestyle Intervention to Prevent Cognitive Decline (LatAm-FINGERS), followed participants for two years.
The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2026 in London. They build on results from the U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER), showing that programs combining physical activity, healthy eating, cognitive training and social engagement can be adapted for different cultures, health systems and communities. The study was also published in The Lancet.
Adapting Brain Health Programs to Local Cultures
“The results demonstrate for the first time in Latin America that culturally adapted lifestyle interventions can be successfully implemented across diverse countries and communities, and deliver cognitive benefits for populations that are often underrepresented in clinical research,” said Lucia Crivelli, Ph.D., lead author of the study and principal investigator at Fleni, a neurological institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“We did not simply translate the U.S. POINTER model into Spanish and Portuguese. We adapted it to local cultures and habits while preserving its core elements — making the program practical, affordable and feasible as a public health strategy,” Crivelli added.
To make the intervention work across many different settings, multinational working groups included representatives from every participating country. They determined which parts of the program needed to stay consistent and which could be adjusted according to local culture, climate, available foods, access to technology, and participant preferences.
Exercise options included familiar activities such as salsa and tango, along with outdoor group workouts in public parks. Nutrition guidance also modified the MIND diet to better fit regional eating habits and food availability. Foods including avocado, quinoa, açaí, aguaymanto, chia, and pumpkin seeds were incorporated as locally accessible options. Study materials were translated and adjusted for local communities, and extra assistance was provided to people with limited experience using digital technology.
Benefits Across Diverse Communities
“LatAm-FINGERS included significant racial and ethnic diversity, and a wide range in education and socioeconomic status (SES). The results demonstrate that brain health can be improved across diverse communities representing different cultures and with varying access to resources,” said Laura D. Baker, Ph.D., professor of gerontology and geriatrics, internal medicine, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health, and U.S. POINTER principal investigator. “We now have a second strong finding in a completely different part of the world, which suggests that the U.S. POINTER formula can be adapted for anybody.”
“I am confident that we can successfully use the U.S. POINTER structured intervention to expand our tools and re.S. — and beyond that to other communities — and the program will be equally effective,” Baker said
Researchers believe programs that address several risk factors at once may offer greater benefits because Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are affected by multiple aspects of health and lifestyle. With dementia becoming more common around the world, the results point to the potential value of practical, affordable, and adaptable lifestyle programs for reducing risk, including in low- and middle-income countries.
“The LatAm-FINGERS results add to U.S. POINTER findings by extending the evidence to Latin America and strengthening the case that these behavioral and lifestyle interventions can be adapted for diverse populations and communities worldwide,” said Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association senior vice president of medical and scientific relations.
“A key message from this study is that structure and social support matter,” Snyder continued. “Addressing multiple lifestyle factors can positively impact brain health and may eventually be combined with emerging drug therapies to reduce cognitive decline and dementia risk.”
Comparing Structured Support With General Advice
The analysis included 1,065 people enrolled at 12 study sites in Argentina, Bolicuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. Participants were randomly placed into one of two groups that differed in how intensive and structured the intervention was and how much ongoing support participants received
The Systematic Lifestyle Intervention (SLI) group included 539 participants. They received continuous coaching and support through supervised exercise, nutrition counseling based on a modified MIND diet, computerized cognitive training, cardiovascular risk monitoring, and 38 group meetings designed to encourage social connection and accountability.
The Flexible Lifestyle Intervention (FLI) group included 526 participants. They received periodic health education along with broad lifestyle recommendations. During the two-year study, these participants attended four group meetings covering diet, physical activity, cognitive and social engagement, and vascular risk management. Unlike the SLI group, they did not receive continuing coaching or supervision.
55% Greater Improvement in Overall Cognition
After two years, the more structured SLI program produced significantly stronger cognitive gains than the FLI approach.
Participants in the SLI group had a 55% greater improvement on a composite measure of global cognition compared with participants in the FLI group. They also experienced significantly larger improvements in memory, executive function, and processing speed.
LatAm-FINGERS and U.S. POINTER are part of the World-Wide FINGERS network. The international effort grew out of the original Finnish FINGER trial, which found that interventions targeting several lifestyle factors at the same time may help preserve cognitive function in older adults at risk of decline.
Materials provided by Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
- Lucia Crivelli, Claudia Kimie Suemoto, Ana Luisa Sosa, Francisco Lopera, David Aguillón, Ricardo Francisco Allegri, Ricardo Nitrini, Ismael Luis Calandri, Lina Velilla-Jiménez, Mônica Sanches Yassuda, Natalia Acosta-Baena, Rosa María Salinas, Ana Charamelo, Carolina Delgado Derio, Daisy Miguelina Acosta, Jorge Mario León-Salas, Lissette Duque-Peñailillo, María Isabel Cusicanqui, Nilton Custodio, Adriana Anchia-Alfaro, Alberto Núñez-Herrera, Alejandra De Rubens, Alice Leites, Ana Vigil-Martínez, Andrés Damian, Beatriz María Flores-Blanco, Belén Custodio, Carlos Laforcada, Carlos Márquez, Clarisse Vasconcelos Friedlaender, Clara Gabriela Espinoza-Cruz, Cristina Cañadas, Cristiane Peixoto, Darina Helen Muñoz, Diego Fernández Slezak, Elainy Felix, Esteban Aguirre-Salvador, Ezequiel Ignacio Surace, Francesca Mariani, Gabriela Rojas De La Torre, Graciet Verástegui, Greta Keller, Gustavo Henrique Peixoto, Handel Arturo Morilla, Ivonne Z Jiménez-Velázquez, Jamileth Yasmín More, Javiera Francisca Rodríguez, Jéssica Abdo Gonçalves Tosatti, João Victor de Faria Rocha, Jonathan Saldarriaga-Hernández, José Carlos Huilca, José Tomás García-Molina, Joyce Graciela Martínez-Galindo, Juan Carlos Duran, Juana Guillermina Rodriguez, Karina Braga Gomes, Karolina Gouveia César-Freitas, Katherine Agüero, Lara Mora-Villalobos, Laura Osorio Asprilla, Leonardo Cruz de Souza, Ligia Soto, Lucia Cortabarría, Lucy Baldeón, Luzia Lima Carreira, Lizeth Marin-Buitrago, Maira Camila Moreno, Maira Tonidandel Barbosa, Maren Torheim, Maria Aquimara Zambone Magalhães, Maria da Graça Morais Martin, Maria Eugenia Martin, Melissa Francisca Torres, Mercedes Menéndez, Micaela Anahi Hernandez, Mónica Sánchez Granizo, Myriam Gutiérrez, Nicolás Corvalán, Paula Jimena Mora, Pedro Peguero, Rocío Ramírez-Santos, Rodrigo Sebastian Fernández, Rosa Montesinos, Sebastian Ospina-Henao, Silvia Ysabel Montes, Sofía Santero, Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki, Sylvia Josephy-Hernandez, Tomas Casildo Vazquez, Yanina Bérgamo, Yamile Bocanegra, Yleana Altagracia Muñoz, Yosselin Vicuña, Zoraida Del Carmen Lora, Miia Kivipelto, Rema Raman, Mark A Espeland, Laura D Baker, Heather M Snyder, Gustavo Emilio Sevlever, María C Carrillo, Paulo Caramelli, Agostina Carello, Carolina Ardohain Cristalli, Daniel Avendaño, Diego Querze, Emiliana Seminara, Julieta Tortonesi, Loana De los Santos, María Bellucci, Matias Alet, Micaela Arruabarrena, Romina Maur, Sofía Elgani, Vanina Banjsak, Victoria Massazza, Celeny Velarde, Deby Mallo, Griselda Gamboa, Mariana Rengel, Sergio Silva, Adalberto Studart-Neto, Ana Luísa de Meneses, Andreia de Andrade Dias, André Lopes, Bruno Rodrigues, Dalila Lima, Davi Cardoso, Eduardo Rios, Eduardo Trés, Fabiana Tameirão, Flavia Machado, Isabella Avolio, Jerusa Smid, Jéssica Pereira, Laís Figueiredo, Leonel Takada, Letícia da Silva, Letícia de Souza, Marcelo Prates, Pedro Bandeira Mendonça, Sérgio Jardim, Silvia Merlin, Valquíria Barbara, Vinícius Jeunon, Vitória Vieira, Alexandra Zepeda, Jacinta Bravo, Jose Lema, Maria Urrutia, Natalia Pozo, Oriana Lara, Rodrigo Gomez, Rodrigo Vergara, Claudia Guzman, Claudia Muñoz, Cristian Morales, Eliana Henao, Francisco Piedrahita, Gloria Deossa R, Gloria Garcia, Juan Felipe Quintero, Laura Serna, Manuela Arcila, Santiago Montaña, Victoria Tirado, Vladimir Zapata, Alessandro Solis-Perez, Diego Quesada-Loría, Esteban Zavaleta-Monestel, Luis Ortega-Araya, Paula Chinchilla-Fonseca, Sebastian Arguedas-Chacon, Vivian Chaves-Quirós, Claudia Acra-Despradel, Peter Stoeter, Rosanny Roman, Rossil Rodriguez, Tatiana Gonzales, Yohenny Castillo, Adriana Rueda, Alberto Nuñez – Duque, Gladys Bautista, Natalia Andrade, Victoria Ruiz, Ana Isidro-Pérez, Isabel Galindo Molina, Alexanderson Fernández, Fiorela López, Isabel Loyola, Maria Fe Albujar, Milagros Núñez, Pamela Bartolo, Rossanna Cruz del Castillo, Zadith Yauri, Alejandra Amestoy, Fabian Preciozzi, Florencia Arredondo, Juan Andres Abin-Carriquiry, Laura Bocos, Laura Reyes, Laura Uriarte, Leandro Dansilio, Lucia Fernandez, Margarita García-Fontes, Ramon Suarez, Roberto Superchi, Rodolfo Ferrando, Sergio Dansilio, Valeria Contreras. Multidomain lifestyle intervention for the prevention of cognitive decline in at-risk older adults in Latin America (LatAm-FINGERS): a single-blind, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 2026; 408 (10553): 417 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01278-X
Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. “This lifestyle program improved cognition 55% more than basic health advice.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 September 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260903064246.htm>.
Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. (2026, September 6). This lifestyle program improved cognition 55% more than basic health advice. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 6, 2026 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260903064246.htm
Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. “This lifestyle program improved cognition 55% more than basic health advice.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260903064246.htm (accessed September 6, 2026).
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