A recent study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has suggested that personalized coaching in health and lifestyle can potentially reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The study, titled the Systematic Multi-Domain Alzheimer Risk Reduction Trial (SMARRT), was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal on November 27.

The study collected data from August 2018 to August 2022 and analyzed it from October 2022 to September 2023. It involved 172 older adults aged between 70 and 89 years, all of whom were already at high risk for dementia. These participants were divided into two groups, with one group receiving personalized, multi-domain interventions and coaching, while the other group served as the control group and received no coaching.

Before the study began, the participants met with a health coach to identify the risk factors they wanted to improve. Over a two-year period, they met with their coach every few months to discuss their progress towards their goals. The results of the study showed that the group receiving coaching had a 74% improvement in cognitive test scores compared to the control group. They also experienced a 145% improvement in dementia risk factors and an 8% increase in quality of life.

First author and lead investigator Kristine Yaffe, M.D., vice chair of research in psychiatry at UCSF, stated in a press release that this personalized intervention, focusing on multiple areas of cognition, based on a participant's risk profile, preferences, and priorities, may be more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach. She emphasized that not only did they find a significant reduction in risk factors, but the study also demonstrated a benefit in cognition, leading to a lower dementia risk.

Although not involved in the SMARRT study, Dr. Suhail Rasool, director of the neurology research group at California pharmaceutical company TrueBinding, shared his input on the potential benefits of cognitive coaching. He highlighted the "use it or lose it" theory, which suggests that engaging in mentally demanding activities, such as brain training games, can lower the risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment as people age. Rasool also mentioned that brain training games have been designed to test mental skills like reasoning, memory, and problem-solving, which tend to decline with age.

Joseph Antoun, CEO and chairman of the board of L-Nutra Inc., a California nutri-technology company, also not involved in the study, discussed the potential benefits of cognitive coaching. He suggested that working regularly with a brain coach can aid in brain health and develop neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to heal, grow new neurons, and form synaptic connections. Antoun emphasized that coupling brain coaching with strategies like regular exercise, proper nutrition, quality sleep, and social interactions can boost brain repair.

Heather M. Snyder, PhD, vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association, who was not involved in the SMARRT research, highlighted the promise of lifestyle and behavioral interventions in protecting brain health. She referred to a previous study, the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER), which reported that a combination of physical activity, nutritional guidance, cognitive training, social activities, and heart-health risk factor management protected cognition in healthy older adults at risk of cognitive decline. Snyder emphasized the need to expand this work to test its findings in diverse populations worldwide.

Although the study showed promising results, Jessica Caldwell, PhD, director of the Women's Alzheimer's Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic, pointed out some potential limitations. She mentioned that coaching might not be feasible for everyone at risk due to its potential cost and the uncertainty of its duration. Caldwell also emphasized the importance of consulting a doctor before making major lifestyle changes to ensure one's health and understand possible risks.

Overall, the study suggests that personalized coaching in health and lifestyle can potentially reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. While there are limitations to consider, experts believe that practices like health coaching are most effective when used as a preventative measure or in the early stages of cognitive decline. They hope that in the future, the treatment of Alzheimer's and related dementias will involve a combination of risk-reduction strategies and targeted drugs specific to the disease mechanisms.