A structured, culturally tailored lifestyle programme improved global cognition by 55 per cent over two years among older adults at increased risk of dementia in 11 Latin American countries, according to results presented July 13 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and published in The Lancet.
What the trial tested
The LatAm-FINGERS study compared an intensive, multidomain intervention against periodic health education and general lifestyle recommendations. Participants in the active arm received a combination of supervised exercise, dietary counselling, cognitive training, vascular risk management and ongoing social support and coaching. The control group was offered only general lifestyle advice and intermittent education sessions.
- Study scope: 11 Latin American countries
- Primary outcome: global cognition over two years
- Result: 55% greater improvement in cognition in the intervention group versus control
Why the findings matter
Lead investigator Lucia Crivelli, PhD, head of Neuropsychology at Fleni-CONICET in Buenos Aires, highlighted the significance of testing prevention strategies outside high-income settings. She said these results show that lifestyle-based risk reduction can be implemented successfully when adapted to local cultures and delivered in a structured way.
“The study is important because it shows that dementia risk reduction strategies can be implemented beyond high-income countries, when they are culturally adapted and delivered in a structured way,”
The trial extends positive findings from earlier multidomain trials — such as the Finnish FINGER study and the US POINTER initiative — to a region facing a rising dementia burden. That regional context was underlined by a separate study presented at the same conference and published in JAMA Neurology showing dementia prevalence increased from 10.6% in 2003–2006 to 16.9% in 2016–2020 across five Latin American and Caribbean sites.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Improvement in global cognition (intervention vs control) | 55% |
| Dementia prevalence (2003–2006) | 10.6% |
| Dementia prevalence (2016–2020) | 16.9% |
Practical takeaways
For readers interested in reducing dementia risk, the trial reinforces that multiple, coordinated lifestyle changes delivered with structure and social support are more effective than sporadic advice alone. Key, evidence-backed components to consider include:
- regular, supervised physical activity;
- targeted dietary counselling adapted to cultural food practices;
- structured cognitive training exercises;
- management of vascular risk factors (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes) and;
- ongoing social support or coaching to sustain behaviour change.
While the LatAm-FINGERS results do not prescribe a single universal programme, they reinforce that lifestyle-related risk factors are central to brain health and represent an important prevention opportunity — particularly in regions where modifiable risk factors are common. Health systems and community organisations planning dementia prevention efforts may find value in adapting multidomain interventions to local cultural contexts and delivering them in a sustained, structured format.
