WW-FINGERS FEATURED STUDY RESULTS

As more WW-FINGERS studies are completed and results are shared, we gain a better understanding of how lifestyle interventions may play a role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's and other dementias. Read summaries of notable study results from around the globe.

U.S. POINTER Study Results

The U.S. POINTER study shows that a structured lifestyle program targeting multiple risk factors improves cognition in older adults at risk of cognitive decline.

Under the leadership of Drs. Laura Baker, Mark Espeland, Miia Kivipelto and Rachel Whitmer, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association®, U.S. POINTER was the first large-scale, randomized controlled clinical trial to demonstrate that an accessible and sustainable healthy lifestyle intervention can protect cognitive function in diverse populations in communities across the United States.

U.S. POINTER study results, published in 2025, show that two healthy lifestyle interventions targeting a combination of physical activity, improved nutrition, cognitive and social challenge, and health monitoring improved cognition in more than 2,000 older adults at risk of cognitive decline. The interventions helped protect thinking and memory from the normal decline that often comes with aging over the nearly two-year period of the study.

While both interventions improved cognition, a structured intervention with more support and accountability showed greater improvement compared to a self-guided intervention. Participants experienced cognitive improvement regardless of sex, ethnicity, genetic risk (apolipoprotein-e4) or heart health status.

“Effects Of Structured vs Self-Guided Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for Global Cognitive Function: The U.S. POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial,” was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on July 28, 2025, and simultaneously presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®).

Read the full study results and get the U.S. POINTER Brain Health Recipe (PDF), or contact pointerinfo@alz.org for more information.

LatAm-FINGERS Study Results

Across 11 Latin American countries, the LatAm-FINGERS study found that structured changes to everyday habits can improve memory and thinking in older adults at risk for cognitive decline.

LatAm-FINGERS, the Latin American Initiative for Lifestyle Intervention to Prevent Cognitive Decline, tested whether a structured, culturally tailored lifestyle program addressing several health factors at once could protect brain health across a wide range of cultures and communities. Funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, the two-year trial enrolled more than 1,000 older adults at 12 sites across 11 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

The LatAm-FINGERS study results show that lifestyle interventions adapted across Latin American cultures, health systems and communities can improve memory, thinking and overall cognitive function in older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia.

Rather than translating the U.S. POINTER program word-for-word, researchers adapted it to fit local cultures, habits and resources while keeping its core elements intact. Representatives from every participating country decided which parts of the program to standardize and which to tailor locally, based on culture, climate, food availability, technology access and participant preferences. Participants spanned a wide range of education and income levels, and most self-identified as part of a racially or ethnically diverse group.

Cultural adaptations included:

  • Physical activity built around familiar movement, such as salsa and tango dancing and group exercise in public parks
  • Nutrition counseling that adjusted the MIND diet to regional food traditions, drawing on foods such as avocado, quinoa, açaí, aguaymanto, chia and pumpkin seeds
  • Translated and culturally adapted materials, with extra support for participants who had limited experience with computers or digital tools

Over two years, participants who received a structured lifestyle program with coaching and group support showed 55% greater improvement in overall cognition than those who followed a more flexible, self-guided version of the same program.

The structured group also showed greater gains in three specific areas:

  • Memory
  • Executive function, which covers skills like planning and problem solving
  • Processing speed, or how quickly the brain takes in and responds to information

More than 8 in 10 participants (82%) finished the full two-year program, a strong completion rate for a trial spanning this many countries.

The LatAm-FINGERS study’s positive results reinforce findings from the U.S. POINTER trial, which showed that a multi-component lifestyle intervention with structured guidance, coaching and peer support improves cognitive function more than a self-guided approach in at-risk older adults. As dementia rates climb worldwide, LatAm-FINGERS points to practical, adaptable ways to help reduce risk, including in low- and middle-income countries where the need is growing fastest.

“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” was published in The Lancet on July 13, 2026, and simultaneously presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC).

For more information, contact Lucia Crivelli.