A two-year clinical trial found that structured lifestyle programs improved measures of frailty in older adults.
Participants who received coaching, goal-setting support, and regular check-ins saw greater benefits than those following a self-guided approach.
Researchers say combining healthy eating, exercise, social engagement, and cognitive activities may help support healthier aging.
Many people know that eating well and staying active are important parts of healthy aging. But new research suggests that how those habits are implemented may matter just as much as the habits themselves.
A study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that older adults who participated in a structured lifestyle program experienced greater improvements in a key measure of aging compared with those who followed a more independent approach.
"These findings suggest that adopting accessible healthy behaviors may help slow important aspects of aging,” researcher Mark A. Espeland, Ph.D., said in a news release.
The study
The findings come from the U.S. POINTER trial, a large clinical study designed to examine whether lifestyle changes can help protect brain health in older adults who are at increased risk for cognitive decline.
In this latest analysis, researchers looked at another important marker of aging: frailty, which reflects the accumulation of health-related challenges that can increase the risk of chronic disease, disability, and other age-related problems.
The study included more than 2,100 adults between the ages of 60 and 79 who were considered at increased risk for accelerated cognitive decline. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups and followed for two years.
One group took part in a structured program that included coaching, goal setting, regular monitoring, and support for adopting healthier behaviors. The program focused on several areas at once, including physical activity, healthy eating, social engagement, cognitively stimulating activities, and monitoring of health risk factors. The second group received guidance as well, but followed a more self-directed approach.
What the study found
Both groups showed improvements over the course of the study. However, participants in the structured program experienced significantly greater reductions in frailty scores.
Researchers found that these benefits were consistent across a variety of participant characteristics, including age, sex, body weight, and diabetes status.
The study does not suggest that any single habit can slow aging on its own. Instead, the findings point to the potential value of a comprehensive approach that combines multiple healthy behaviors and provides ongoing support to help people stick with them.
“This shows the benefits of taking a structured approach to a healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Espeland said. “We know exercising and eating right is going to improve our health, but making efforts to participate in programs that offer guidance and accountability could be especially effective at keeping us healthy as we age.”
Researchers also noted that improvements in frailty did not fully explain the cognitive benefits observed in the broader trial, indicating that healthy aging is likely influenced by multiple interconnected factors.
“The results also add to growing evidence that targeting multiple areas of health at once, rather than focusing on a single behavior may be the key to maintaining independence and quality of life later in life,” Dr. Espeland added.