FIRST ON CNN: Dramatic lifestyle changes can fight early-stage Alzheimer’s, study says. Here’s how

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

(CNN) — As her memory faded from Alzheimer’s disease in her late 50s, Tammy Maida began to lose track of her life. Car keys, eyeglasses and her purse disappeared multiple times a day. Key characters in novels she was reading were forgotten. Groceries were left in the garage. Keeping the books for the family’s businesses became impossible.

“I honestly thought I was losing my mind, and the fear of losing my mind was frightening,” Maida told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the 2024 CNN documentary “ The Last Alzheimer’s Patient .”

After 20 weeks in a randomized clinical trial designed to drastically change her diet, exercise, stress levels and social interactions, Maida’s cognition improved. She was able to read and recall novels and correctl