How did a structured lifestyle intervention boost cognition by 55% ?

Participants in the LatAm-FINGERS trial who received the Systematic Lifestyle Intervention (SLI) demonstrated 55% greater improvement in overall cognition after two years compared with those assigned to the Flexible Lifestyle Intervention (FLI). The finding emerged from a randomized controlled study involving 1,065 adults across 12 sites in 11 Latin American countries.

How the intervention was adapted locally

Working groups from each participating country determined which elements of the program must remain fixed and which could be modified. Their decisions incorporated local culture, climate, dietary staples, technology access, and participant preferences. Physical activity options included regionally familiar forms such as salsa, tango, and group workouts in public parks. Nutrition counseling adapted the MIND diet using accessible regional foods — avocado, quinoa, açaí, aguaymanto, chia, and pumpkin seeds. All materials were translated and culturally tailored; participants with limited digital experience received additional support.

Structure and social support drove results

The SLI group — 539 participants — received sustained coaching and supervision. Their program featured guided exercise, nutrition counseling based on the locally adapted MIND diet, computerized cognitive training, cardiovascular risk monitoring, and 38 group meetings designed to foster social connection and accountability. In contrast, the FLI group — 526 participants — received general lifestyle guidance and periodic health education, attending only four group meetings over two years covering diet, physical activity, cognitive and social engagement, and vascular risk management, without ongoing coaching or supervised sessions.

Results extend U.S. POINTER evidence globally

The two-year findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026 in London and online, and simultaneously published in The Lancet. The study builds on evidence from the U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER), confirming that multidomain lifestyle programs addressing several dementia risk factors can be successfully adapted across diverse cultures, communities, and health systems. “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,” said Lucia Crivelli, Ph.D., lead author and principal investigator at Fleni, a neurological institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Diverse representation strengthens global relevance

LatAm-FINGERS enrolled participants reflecting significant racial and ethnic diversity, along with wide variation 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 and internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Advocate Health, and U.S. POINTER principal investigator. She added: “I am confident that we can successfully use the U.S. POINTER structured intervention to expand our tools and resources to further engage Latino and Hispanic communities in the U.S. — and beyond that to other communities — and the program will be equally effective.”

What the data showed after two years

After two years, cognitive improvement was significantly greater in the SLI group. On a combined measure of overall cognition, SLI participants improved 55% more than FLI participants. They also showed significantly larger gains in memory, executive function, and processing speed. The study, titled “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,” appeared in The Lancet on 12 July 2026. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01278-X

LatAm-FINGERS and U.S. POINTER are part of the World-Wide FINGERS network, which originated from the Finnish FINGER trial demonstrating that multidomain lifestyle interventions may help protect cognitive function in older adults at risk for decline.