Alzheimer's disease is currently the third-leading cause of death among seniors in the U.S., following cardiovascular disease and cancer, with more than 5.2 million people in the U.S. now suffering from Alzheimer's or some other type of serious memory impairment (i.e. dementia). These are among the most costly and devastating ailments a family can face.

All this can be discouraging, understandably, especially if you've come to believe there is nothing one can do to prevent or reverse memory loss, much less Alzheimer's. However, many people, including many doctors, do not realize current research shows there are actually a lot of steps that can be taken to measurably reduce one's risk for dementia generally. This is true even for many of the losses related to Alzheimer's.

I've been curious about these questions since I was a junior in high school, when I got a book on memory and became fascinated with it. Over the last 50 years, I've continued to follow the research closely. After working for 20 years with the Alzheimer's Association, I now wish people understood that the research is far more hopeful than people realize.

In 2012, a major joint study was initiated by researchers in Finland and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, known as the FINGER (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability) study. This well-designed, controlled study involved 1,260 seniors ages 60-77 in Finland. All of these individuals, due to genetics or other factors, had a greater-than-normal risk for dementia -- and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups.

The intervention group went through a program of training in improving their diet, physical activity, mental activity, social interaction and monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors. The control group received regular health advice from their physicians as usual.

At the end of two years, although improvements were seen in both groups, the improvements in the intervention group were significantly greater. For instance, there was an 83% greater improvement in organizational abilities, 150% greater improvement of processing speed and 40% greater improvement in complex memory tasks for those making these lifestyle changes compared with the control group. Even carriers of the APOE4 (Alzheimer's) gene "enjoyed clear benefits." Those in the intervention group had a 30% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment after two years compared to the intervention group, prompting Dr. Miia Kivipelto, the primary investigator, to note, "This shows that the prevention (of Alzheimer's) is possible."

I recognize this can be hard for some to believe. Yet the FINGER study has been replicated in the decade since by more than 13 other countries with similar results. Simultaneous with this study, another research project was going on in the U.S., conducted by Thomas Shea, Ph.D., head of the biology department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Shea's mother had died from dementia, so it became his passion to determine what nutrients, if any, might help to arrest or slow cognitive decline, particularly in Alzheimer's patients.

After 10 years of reviewing the available research, he and his colleagues came up with a simple nutritional formulation that consisted of six vitamins and proteins shown to help the brain. In a smaller study of 14 individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's and living in an assisted-living facility, after 12 months of taking this same supplement, 10 showed improvements in both mood and memory (two participants continued to decline, two stayed the same).

In a later phase II clinical trial that I participated in as a research assistant, involving the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, the University of Maryland, Framingham University and a Utah team, we observed 340 participants with cognitive impairments (90 of whom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's) -- documenting improvements in approximately 60% of those diagnosed with the disease, after 12 months on this formula.

In another small study published in the journal Aging in 2016, Dr. Dale Bredesen, chief resident in neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, documented a reversal in serious cognitive decline in 9 of 10 subjects, using a combined multifaceted approach that included dietary adjustments, supplements and lifestyle modifications.

These included people who were struggling at work and some who had to discontinue working due to their disability. The researchers found that over a period of one to two years, those who had to "stop working" were able to return to work, and those struggling at work improved their performance. The patients, their spouses and their co-workers all reported clear improvements.

In this 2016 report, in order to show this was not a fluke or "placebo" effect, they included results from test scores showing improvement and quantitative MRIs showing major increases in healthy cells in the memory center (hippocampus) of their brains. One subject, for instance, showed an increase in hippocampal volume from 17th percentile (with only 17% of the population his age having less gray matter in that part of the brain), to the 75th percentile (where only 25% of the population had more). That's more than a 50% increase in neurons in that area vital to memory.

It is noteworthy that while most of these patients met criteria for Alzheimer's disease prior to treatment, they did not afterwards. Even after four years, the improvements were still maintained.

There really is evidence that many dementia symptoms, and the associated decline, can even be reversed if the correct steps are taken soon enough. In fact, Bredesen subsequently published another study showing improvements in 100 patients. And currently, this same research team has another large, multisite, controlled study underway in the Evanthea dementia reversal trial -- reporting preliminary improvements in several thousand patients from all over the world, including Utah.

One individual in Utah who I worked with had become a successful teacher and consultant in the financial field, until his family and physicians noticed a significant decline in his memory and persuaded him to see a neurologist, who concluded his cognitive profile was "consistent with a progressive dementia such as Alzheimer's disease." At the time, he was told that he "needed to accept the reality of this, enjoy remaining time with family, and get his financial affairs in order."

However, in February 2022, he began working with a clinic in Utah, trained in this approach, that helped him make many of these same adjustments described in the research. A year later when he was checked again, his record stated: "There is no concern for a memory disturbance. (And) at this time, he does not meet criteria for a neurocognitive disorder."

Notice that this man was not aware that he had a problem, at least not anything that bad. Many seniors are that way. They don't think they have a problem. They simply don't remember what they did not remember -- which can be a major obstacle to making things better.

If dementia or Alzheimer's is a concern for you and your family, there are a couple of important steps you can take to be proactive. A basic starting point is a more in-depth assessment to determine potential risk factors or contributors. The American Brain Council, that I'm a member of, has a good personal assessment tool, that's currently free at ABCbrain.Org. The Australian National University has another similar tool. These can help you reduce your risk of dementia by identifying possible contributors and specific recommendations on how to lower your risk. Bredesen also has a helpful free assessment of cognitive status or abilities, as does the National Institute on Aging.

Based on these kinds of assessments, and ideally some blood work by a qualified physician, a multifaceted response, combining several areas specific to each person's needs, can be developed. This, Bredesen calls, is "precision medicine."

There are five lifestyle adjustments that seem to be commonly needed in most people -- and confirmed by the research studies above:

A Washington Post newsletter last week focused similarly on "how to reduce your risk from dementia," stating that "Experts recommend these 15 science-based strategies. They include adopting a plant-based diet, regular exercise and having plenty of social interactions."

Many believe that we are now in the midst of a dementia plague. But fortunately, God has provided a variety of tools and insights that can help maintain a healthy brain, prolong our quality of life and ability to serve. The information is out there in the research conducted over recent decades. But like the wise men of old, it's up to us to seek, find and apply that knowledge, if we want to support or improve the abilities of our brain this coming year.