The program was not associated with any adverse event other than musculoskeletal soreness from exercise activities. It also appeared to be practical and made a lasting impact, which was a gratifying finding, said Dr. Kivipelto. At the end of the study, intervention-group participants had decreased their body mass index by about 0.8 kg/m2, which was significantly more than for control-group subjects. Most participants reported that they were still eating fish and exercising at least twice per week and eating vegetables every day.
“FINGER is the first long-term trial to show that a multidomain intervention like this one can maintain and improve cognitive decline,” she said. “It is important that we’ve also seen [that] the program is feasible, has no obvious side effects, and that it’s not limited to cognitive domains. It also has a positive impact on function and quality of life.”
—Michele G. Sullivan