Dr. Dean Ornish and his research team demonstrated that an intensive lifestyle intervention without drugs significantly improved cognition and function in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The trial involved randomly assigning 51 men and women with MCI or early Alzheimer’s dementia to one of two groups. The first group underwent an intensive lifestyle intervention involving a whole-food, minimally processed plant-based diet. The researchers believed that to adequately test their hypothesis, participants needed to consume only the food and nutritional supplements provided them.
The intervention also included exercise (walking 30 minutes per day) and mild strength training three times per week. Stress management practices included meditation, gentle yoga, stretching, progressive relaxation, and breathing exercises for one hour per day. Participants and their spouses/study partners participated in a support group for one-hour sessions three days per week to increase emotional support and community as well as communication skills and strategies for maintaining adherence to the program. The second, non-intervention group was a usual-care control comparison group who were told not to make any lifestyle changes. [These participants did, however, receive the intervention after the conclusion of the first 20 weeks of the study.]
After 20 weeks, results showed statistically significant differences in cognition and function between the two groups. The statistically significant correlations are especially meaningful given the greater variability of self-reported data, the relatively small sample size, and the short duration of the intervention. Results showed that 71% of patients in the intervention group improved or were unchanged, while none of the patients in the control group improved and 68% worsened.
Many in the group that engaged in the lifestyle changes reported regaining lost cognition, such as being able to finish reading a book and retaining the information or being able to manage finances again. An additional benefit experienced by those in the intervention group was a gain in self-worth and identity. One woman said, “I feel like I’m me again.”
Dr. Ornish found that it may be possible in many cases to reverse the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. He commented that, “The implication for prevention is that the earlier you intervene, the more likely it is to be positive in terms of protection, so the less you need to change in your lifestyle.” He said he designed his intervention to involve simple lifestyle changes which are minimal in cost, in order to make it accessible to everyone.