Exercise- and dietary pattern-based lifestyle interventions and neurocognitive function in adults: a Bayesian...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Cognitive decline is a growing concern in aging populations.
• Lifestyle factors, including exercise and diet, are potential modulators of cognitive function.
• Understanding the impact of specific lifestyle interventions is crucial for developing effective strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effects of exercise and dietary interventions on neurocognitive function in adults.
• To examine the relative effects and dose-response relationships of these lifestyle interventions.
• To identify specific intervention types that yield the greatest cognitive benefits.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of major databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library) was conducted.
• Bayesian multilevel pairwise, network, and dose-response meta-analyses were performed on 23 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 12,286 participants.
• The credibility of evidence was assessed using RoB 2 and CINeMA tools.

Main Results:

• Combined exercise and dietary interventions demonstrated small but statistically significant improvements in overall cognition (SMD=0.18), memory (SMD=0.10), and executive function (SMD=0.09).
• Benefits were primarily observed when comparing combined interventions or exercise alone to control groups.
• Specific intervention combinations like AE_MIND and AE_RT_MED showed promise for overall cognition and memory.

Conclusions:

• Combined lifestyle interventions offer statistically significant, albeit modest, cognitive benefits across various domains in adults.
• Current evidence is insufficient for precise, standardized recommendations regarding intervention combinations and dosages.
• High-quality RCTs with long-term follow-up are necessary to optimize lifestyle prescriptions for cognitive enhancement.