Structured approach to a healthy lifestyle may help slow important aspects of aging

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found evidence of slowed aging from lifestyle behaviors like healthy eating and exercise as part of a major clinical trial. 

The new finding, published in this month's edition of The Journals of Gerontology, is based on the Alzheimer's Association's U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER), which was the first large-scale clinical trial to demonstrate that accessible interventions that make up a healthy lifestyle can protect cognitive function. 

In the new paper, researchers found these healthy behaviors also reduced frailty, a key measure in aging research and a marker of the aging process. Frailty reflects the body's accumulated health challenges over time and is strongly linked to risks like chronic disease, disability and mortality. 

These findings suggest that adopting accessible healthy behaviors may help slow important aspects of aging."

Mark A. Espeland, Ph.D., lead author and professor of gerontology and geriatrics and internal medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

In the two-year, randomized U.S. POINTER trial, more than 2,100 adults between the ages of 60 and 79 who were at an increased risk for cognitive decline were split into two groups. One group followed a structured program with coaching, goal setting and regular checks to incorporate health eating, regular exercise, along with brain-stimulating and social activities. The other group followed a more self-guided approach to health. 

Researchers at the School of Medicine, the academic core of Advocate Health, found those that followed the structured program experienced greater improvements in overall health and frailty compared to the other group. While both groups improved their frailty scores, those that followed the structured program had greater improvement. 

"This shows the benefits of taking a structured approach to a healthy lifestyle," Espeland said. "We know exercising and eating right is going to improve our health, but making efforts to participate in programs that offer guidance and accountability could be especially effective at keeping us healthy as we age." 

While participants in the structured program also showed stronger gains in cognitive performance, researchers found that improvements in frailty alone did not fully explain the brain benefits also found in the trial, suggesting multiple pathways to healthy aging. 

"The results also add to growing evidence that targeting multiple areas of health at once, rather than focusing on a single behavior may be the key to maintaining independence and quality of life later in life," Espeland added.