A multinational Latin American study, LatAm-FINGERS, shows culturally adapted lifestyle programs improve cognition in older adults at risk of dementia, with stronger benefits when more structured guidance is provided.

In a two-year trial spanning 12 sites across 11 countries, researchers compared a Systematic Lifestyle Intervention (SLI) with continuous coaching to a Flexible Lifestyle Intervention (FLI) with periodic education and no ongoing coaching.

Adaptations included locally familiar exercise like salsa and tango, outdoor park workouts, regionally available foods such as avocado and quinoa, translated materials, and extra support for participants with limited digital experience.

Interventions combined physical activity, healthy eating (a modified MIND diet), cognitive training, and social engagement, and were culturally adapted rather than mere translations of the U.S. POINTER model.

LatAm-FINGERS extends the core framework of the U.S. POINTER program and the Finnish FINGER trial, suggesting the model is adaptable to diverse global populations.

The study sought to determine whether brain-healthy lifestyle programs can be practically implemented across diverse cultures, health systems, and socioeconomic settings, including low- and middle-income environments.

The SLI group achieved a 55% greater improvement on a composite global cognition measure versus the FLI group, with notable gains in memory, executive function, and processing speed.

Results reinforce that tackling multiple lifestyle factors simultaneously may reduce dementia risk and could complement emerging drug therapies in the future.