Home › Research › Treatments
Lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer disease
Kivipelto M, Mangialasche F, Ngandu T.. Nature reviews. Neurology, 2018-11-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Research into dementia prevention is of paramount importance if the dementia epidemic is to be halted. Observational studies have identified several potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia and obesity at midlife, diabetes mellitus, smoking, physical inactivity, depression and low levels of education. Randomized clinical trials are needed that investigate whether interventions targeting these risk factors can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in elderly adults, but such trials are methodologically challenging. To date, most preventive interventions have been tested in small groups, have focused on a single lifestyle factor and have yielded negative or modest results. Given the multifactorial aetiology of dementia and late-onset Alzheimer disease, multidomain interventions that target several risk factors and mechanisms simultaneously might be necessary for an optimal preventive effect. In the past few years, three large multidomain trials (FINGER, MAPT and PreDIVA) have been completed. The FINGER trial showed that a multidomain lifestyle intervention can benefit cognition in elderly people with an elevated risk of dementia. The primary results from the other trials did not show a statistically significant benefit of preventive interventions, but additional analyses among participants at risk of dementia showed beneficial effects of intervention. Overall, results from these three trials suggest that targeting of preventive interventions to at-risk individuals is an effective strategy. This Review discusses the current knowledge of lifestyle-related risk factors and results from novel trials aiming to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. Global initiatives are presented, including the World Wide FINGERS network, which aims to harmonize studies on dementia prevention, generate high-quality scientific evidence and promote its implementation.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Kivipelto, M., Mangialasche, F., & Ngandu, T. (2018). Lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer disease. Nature reviews. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-018-0070-3
Vancouver
Kivipelto M, Mangialasche F, Ngandu T. Lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer disease. Nature reviews. Neurology. 2018. doi:10.1038/s41582-018-0070-3. PMID: 30291317.
BibTeX
@article{kivipelto2018-30291317,
author = {Kivipelto, M. and Mangialasche, F. and Ngandu, T.},
title = {{Lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Nature reviews. Neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1038/s41582-018-0070-3},
pmid = {30291317},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-018-0070-3}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- To date, most preventive interventions have been tested in small groups, have focused on a single lifestyle factor and have yielded negative or modest results.
- The FINGER trial showed that a multidomain lifestyle intervention can benefit cognition in elderly people with an elevated risk of dementia.
- The primary results from the other trials did not show a statistically significant benefit of preventive interventions, but additional analyses among participants at risk of dementia showed beneficial effects of intervention.
- Overall, results from these three trials suggest that targeting of preventive interventions to at-risk individuals is an effective strategy.
- This Review discusses the current knowledge of lifestyle-related risk factors and results from novel trials aiming to prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
Why it matters
This 2018 Review summarises dementia-prevention trials and reports no new data of its own. It says the FINGER trial "showed that a multidomain lifestyle intervention can benefit cognition in elderly people with an elevated risk of dementia", while the MAPT and PreDIVA trials showed no statistically significant benefit on their primary results, with benefits seen only in "additional analyses among participants at risk of dementia". The authors conclude these results "suggest" that aiming prevention at at-risk individuals is an effective strategy, and they describe the World Wide FINGERS network, set up to harmonise dementia-prevention studies.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Treatments →
Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Nature reviews. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Nature Reviews Neurology: journal h-index 269 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,159 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 115.9 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 15.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 51 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 446 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Tiia Ngandu: h-index 54 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Imperial College London: institution h-index 1,744 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30291317) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 41.
Later studies that cite this one
51 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Treatments
Also tagged “prevalence”
1,224 studies in the library carry the topic tag “prevalence”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,224 tagged studies.