Brain Training and Lifestyle: Can You Reduce Your Risk of Dementia? Brain training, exercise, a healthy diet, and cardiovascular risk management may help protect cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia. New research suggests that combining these strategies may be more effective than relying on any single “brain health” therapy.
I originally wrote this post years ago because I was interested in brain training—not simply because I was getting older, but because I am a long-term cancer survivor living with chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction, commonly called chemobrain.
I have spent years trying to improve my own brain health.
That has included:
- Brain training
- Frequent moderate exercise
- Healthy nutrition
- Sleep
- Stress management
- Staying mentally active
- Managing my cardiovascular health
The research has changed considerably since I first wrote this article.
The encouraging news is that the basic idea behind this post has become more credible:
We probably cannot guarantee that lifestyle changes will prevent dementia, but there is increasingly strong evidence that modifiable lifestyle and health factors can influence cognitive aging and dementia risk.
And perhaps most importantly, the strongest evidence increasingly supports doing several things together, rather than looking for one supplement, food or brain game to protect the brain.
I signed up for Posit Science (brain training games) in, I don’t know, late 2015. Less than $100 annual cost. I ignored the brain games for about a year and a half. I’m not sure what got me to start my brain training. Once I figured out how to get the brain training to download to my email inbox each day, I was able to get in the habit of playing a few games daily. Once I got in the habit, I found daily brain training to be easy.
Have you been diagnosed with some form of dementia? For more information about keeping your brain healthy please scroll down the page, post a question or comment, and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading”
Can Lifestyle Changes Really Reduce Dementia Risk?
Yes—but “reduce risk” is more accurate than “prevent dementia.”
The 2026 World Health Organization guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia recommend a broad approach involving healthy behaviors, management of medical conditions, and reduction of environmental risk factors.
The guidelines address:
- Physical activity
- Healthy diet
- Tobacco cessation
- Harmful alcohol use
- Hypertension
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Hearing loss
- Depression
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Vision impairment
- Sleep
- Cognitive and social activity
The important point is that dementia risk is not determined by one behavior.
Brain health is connected to whole-body health.
Research:
World Health Organization — Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline and Dementia: 2026 Guidelines
WHO dementia risk-reduction guidelines
The U.S. POINTER Trial: One of the Most Important Lifestyle Studies Yet
One of the biggest developments since I originally wrote this post is the U.S. POINTER randomized clinical trial.
Researchers studied 2,111 older adults who were at increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Participants followed programs addressing several areas simultaneously:
- Physical activity
- Nutrition
- Cognitive stimulation
- Social engagement
- Cardiovascular health monitoring
Both lifestyle programs improved cognition over two years.
But participants following the more structured intervention—with greater support and accountability—experienced greater cognitive improvement.
That is an important finding.
It suggests that the answer may not be:
Which brain game should I play?
or:
Which supplement should I take?
The better question may be:
How can I build several brain-healthy behaviors into my everyday life and actually stick with them?
Research:
U.S. POINTER Study Results — Alzheimer’s Association
U.S. POINTER study results
1. Brain Training: Promising, but Not All Brain Training Is Equal
When I originally wrote this article, I discussed research suggesting that computerized brain training reduced dementia incidence by about 29%.
That finding needs updating.
The original ACTIVE trial tested three types of cognitive training:
- Memory training
- Reasoning training
- Speed-of-processing training
Long-term research has now provided a much more interesting picture.
A 2026 analysis linking ACTIVE participants to approximately 20 years of Medicare data found that participants assigned to speed-of-processing training who also completed booster sessions had a 25% lower rate of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
However, memory training and reasoning training did not demonstrate the same reduction. This does not prove that brain training prevents Alzheimer’s disease. But it suggests that a particular type of adaptive speed-of-processing training deserves continued study.
Research:
ACTIVE 20-Year Follow-Up — Alzheimer’s & Dementia
PubMed: cognitive training and dementia over 20 years
National Institutes of Health — Cognitive Speed Training and Dementia
NIH discussion of the ACTIVE findings
My Experience With Brain Training
I began using BrainHQ years ago. Like many lifestyle therapies, the hardest part wasn’t understanding that I should exercise my brain. The hard part was doing it consistently. Once brain training became part of my routine, it became much easier.
I have also written specifically about brain training for cancer survivors experiencing chemobrain:
PeopleBeatingCancer:
BrainHQ for Cancer Survivors: Can Brain Training Improve Chemobrain?
And:
Healing My Chemo Brain: 7 Evidence-Based Strategies
2. Exercise May Be One of the Best Brain-Health Therapies We Have
If you are trying to protect your brain as you age, don’t focus exclusively on exercising your brain.
Exercise your body too.
Physical activity is one of the most consistently supported lifestyle interventions for maintaining health as we age.
The 2026 WHO guidelines recommend physical activity for adults with normal cognition to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Physical activity may also be recommended for people with mild cognitive impairment, although the certainty of evidence is lower in that population.
Exercise may support brain health through multiple pathways, including:
- Cardiovascular health
- Cerebral blood flow
- Glucose regulation
- Reduced inflammation
- Improved sleep
- Improved mood
- Neuroplasticity
You do not necessarily need extreme exercise.
Walking, cycling, swimming, resistance exercise and other activities that you can perform safely and consistently can all contribute to an active lifestyle.
For cancer patients and survivors, see:
Exercise During Chemotherapy: Evidence-Based Benefits
3. Eat for Your Brain—and Your Heart
Another lesson from modern dementia research is that what protects the cardiovascular system often protects the brain as well. The WHO recommends a healthy, balanced dietary pattern for reducing cognitive decline and dementia risk.
Mediterranean-style dietary patterns are particularly interesting because they emphasize:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Legumes
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Fish
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Minimally processed foods
Rather than searching for one “anti-dementia superfood,” I think it makes more sense to focus on the overall dietary pattern.
Research:
WHO evidence review: healthy diet and dementia risk
PeopleBeatingCancer:
4. Don’t Ignore Cardiovascular Risk Factors
This may be one of the most overlooked parts of dementia prevention. The brain depends on an enormous vascular network.
Conditions that damage blood vessels may also damage brain health over time.
That means managing:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Stroke risk
isn’t just about preventing heart attacks.
It may also be part of protecting cognitive health.
The 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia identified multiple potentially modifiable dementia risk factors across the life course and emphasized that dementia prevention should begin well before old age.
Research:
2024 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care
5. Stay Mentally and Socially Engaged
Brain training does not have to mean sitting in front of a computer. Learning and social interaction challenge the brain in different ways.
Consider:
- Reading
- Writing
- Learning a language
- Learning a musical instrument
- Playing strategy games
- Taking classes
- Volunteering
- Maintaining friendships
- Joining community activities
- Doing cognitively challenging work
The evidence that any one of these activities prevents dementia is not definitive. But cognitive and social engagement are components of the multidomain lifestyle approach now being investigated in major dementia-prevention trials.
6. Sleep Matters
Sleep deserves more attention in discussions of brain health. Chronic sleep problems can affect:
- Memory
- Concentration
- Mood
- Metabolic health
- Cardiovascular health
If you have persistent insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring or possible sleep apnea, discuss the problem with your physician rather than simply accepting poor sleep as part of aging.
Sleep is not a luxury.
It is part of brain health.
What About Supplements for Preventing Dementia?
This is an area where I would be much more cautious than I was when I originally wrote this post. Supplements are frequently marketed for memory and brain health. But the evidence supporting supplements for dementia prevention is considerably weaker than the evidence supporting management of overall lifestyle and cardiovascular risk.
The earlier WHO guidelines specifically cautioned against recommending vitamin B, vitamin E, polyunsaturated fatty acids or multicomplex supplements solely for reducing dementia risk.
That does not mean nutritional deficiencies should be ignored. Someone who is deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D or another nutrient may need appropriate treatment.
But correcting a deficiency is very different from taking high-dose supplements in the hope of preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
PeopleBeatingCancer:
Supplements and Brain Health
What Does This Mean for Cancer Survivors With Chemobrain?
This question is particularly important to me. I developed cognitive problems after aggressive cancer therapy.
Chemobrain—more formally called cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI)—and dementia are not the same condition.
But many of the strategies being studied for healthy cognitive aging overlap with strategies used to manage CRCI:
- Exercise
- Cognitive training
- Healthy nutrition
- Sleep optimization
- Stress management
- Cardiovascular health
- Cognitive rehabilitation
For cancer survivors struggling with memory, concentration, processing speed, or mental fatigue, see:
PeopleBeatingCancer Evidence Rating
| Therapy |
Evidence for Cognitive/Brain Health |
Evidence for Dementia Prevention |
PBC Interpretation |
| Regular physical activity |
Strong |
Moderate |
One of the foundations of brain-healthy aging |
| Multidomain lifestyle intervention |
Strong/emerging |
Promising but not yet definitive |
U.S. POINTER substantially strengthens the evidence |
| Healthy/Mediterranean-style diet |
Moderate |
Moderate |
Favor the dietary pattern rather than individual “superfoods” |
| Speed-of-processing cognitive training |
Moderate |
Promising |
20-year ACTIVE findings are important but require confirmation |
| General commercial brain games |
Low–moderate |
Insufficient |
Don’t assume all brain games have the same evidence |
| Social/cognitive engagement |
Moderate observational evidence |
Not proven independently |
Sensible component of a multidomain strategy |
| Sleep optimization |
Moderate |
Emerging |
Treat sleep disorders and protect sleep quality |
| Supplements without a documented deficiency |
Low/inconsistent |
Insufficient |
Do not substitute supplements for established risk-reduction strategies |
PBC interpretation: Evidence ratings describe the strength of published evidence, not a guarantee that an intervention will prevent or treat dementia.
My Bottom Line
When I first wrote this article, I thought brain training, exercise, nutrition, and supplementation might help me protect my aging brain. Years later, I would modify that conclusion.
I don’t believe there is a single supplement, food, brain game, or lifestyle therapy that can guarantee that any of us will avoid dementia. But I do believe the evidence increasingly supports a comprehensive approach to brain health.
Think of it as a portfolio rather than a magic bullet:
Move your body.
Challenge your brain.
Eat well.
Stay socially connected.
Sleep well.
Don’t smoke.
Control blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
Protect your hearing and vision.
And keep doing these things for years—not weeks.
That last point may be the most important.
The U.S. POINTER study reinforces something I have learned from managing my own health as a long-term cancer survivor:
Research
World Health Organization (2026)
Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline and Dementia: WHO Guidelines, Second Edition
U.S. POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial (2025)
U.S. POINTER Study Results
ACTIVE Cognitive Training — 20-Year Follow-Up (2026)
PubMed: Impact of Cognitive Training on Diagnosed Dementia Over 20 Years
National Institutes of Health (2026)
Cognitive Speed Training May Delay Dementia Diagnosis
Lancet Commission (2024)
Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care
National Institute on Aging
Lifestyle, Behavior and Cognitive Training Research
“Revising the results of their headline-grabbing, decade-long study, researchers from top universities still believe that a brain training exercise from app developer Posit Science can actually reduce the risk of dementia among older adults…
The groundbreaking study still has incredible implications for the treatment of neurological disorders associated with aging — and helps to validate the use of application-based therapies as a form of treatment and preventative intervention…
And they (research results) indicate that brain training exercises conducted in a classroom setting can significantly reduce the risk of dementia in older patients…
The randomized study placed one group in a classroom and taught them different memory enhancement strategies; another group received classroom training on basic reasoning skills; while a third group received individualized, computerized brain training in class. A control group received no training at all…
After ten years, the researchers didn’t find a difference in the incidence of dementia between participants in the control group and the reasoning or memory strategy groups. But the brain training group showed marked differences, with researchers finding that the group who received the computerized training had a 29 percent lower incidence of dementia…
Data represent first human trials examining the impact of dark chocolate consumption on cognition and other brain functions
“Findings from two new studies show dark chocolate consumption reduces stress and inflammation, while improving memory, immunity and mood…”
“Meta-analyses of prospective studies documented a significantly reduced risk of dementia associated with midlife exercise; similarly, midlife exercise significantly reduced later risks of mild cognitive impairment in several studies. Among patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) documented better cognitive scores after 6 to 12 months of exercise compared with sedentary controls…”
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