This could improve brain function in older adults!

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]This intervention was linked to better brain function in older adults ranging from things like memory to executive function in a 2025 randomized study.

[00:00:09]You're going to want to hear this one all the way to the end because the results are surprising. I'm Dr. Austin Perlmutter and if you like learning about brain health and in particular how to rewire your brain for better health, make sure you follow this channel. Many people think that brain function drops off and gets worse invariably as we get older, but what if the opposite could be true? That's exactly what they found in this study. It was called the US POINTER trial and what they did is they randomized a little over 2,000 older adults age 60s to 70s who were at higher risk for having cognitive issues. So, the two interventions here were both really lifestyle focused. They both recommended that people exercise, ate healthy food, engaged in social connections, exercised their brains, but the difference is that one group was far more structured. So, they had over 30 sessions over a two-year period where they were getting peer support as well as advice on how to implement these strategies, whereas the other group was just kind of told, "Here's some general guidance on how to live a brain-healthy lifestyle."

[00:01:06]Here's what they found. In both of these groups over the two-year period, brain function improved across multiple domains. And what the study said is that the structured intervention seemed to have a little bit of an edge over the unstructured intervention in terms of they had slightly better benefit across several aspects of brain function, but really the important takeaway from the study from my perspective is that both groups didn't worsen brain function, didn't even stay the same, but actually enhanced their brain function in older age in people who were actually at higher risk for having cognitive decline.

[00:01:41]So, what the takeaway from this is is that we need to rethink the idea that brain function simply gets worse as we get older and to re-evaluate how we can implement the basic steps that have been most strongly correlated with better brain function. And right now in the United States and largely around the world, we live pretty unhealthy lifestyles. So, anything that we can do to start implementing a little bit more from a policy level to the level of the individual that makes it easier for us and more enjoyable for us to engage in things like social interactions, eating healthy food, exercising, getting good sleep. These are great votes for brain health. So, with all that said, I'm curious, which of these things are you most focused on as it relates to brain health? Doing more exercise, getting more social connections, working on stress mitigation, trying to eat healthier food. It all matters and that's what is so important. I'm Dr. Austin Perlmutter. I will include the link to this study in the description.

[00:02:32]Follow for more and I'll talk to you again soon.