FRIDAY, March 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Neither exercise nor aggressive cardiovascular risk reduction significantly improves cognitive benefits in older adults at risk for dementia, according to a study published online March 23 in JAMA Neurology.
Rong Zhang, Ph.D., from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, and colleagues examined whether exercise, intensive pharmacological reduction of blood pressure and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or the combination of the three can improve cognitive function in older adults. The analysis included 513 adults (aged 60 to 85 years) with hypertension, a family history of dementia, and/or self-reported subjective cognitive decline who were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to aerobic exercise training, intensive pharmacological lowering of systolic blood pressure to <130 mmHg and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with atorvastatin, the combination, or usual care.
The researchers found that for global cognitive function at 24 months from baseline, Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC) scores increased by 0.2 units in the no-exercise group and by 0.3 units in the exercise group, with no significant group differences observed. Similarly, in the group not receiving intensive pharmacological lowering, PACC scores increased by 0.3 units versus 0.2 units in the intensive reduction group, with no significant group differences noted. Similar results were seen for the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery composite score and individual test scores with each intervention.
"We improved the body, but not the brain," coauthor Jeffrey N. Keller, Ph.D., from Pennington Biomedical in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said in a statement. "Addressing a single set of risk factors, even aggressively, may not be sufficient, highlighting the need for more comprehensive approaches to dementia prevention."
Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.