--- title: Study: Non-Drug Methods Could Help Alzheimer's Patients description: Even people at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s can slow the decline in their thinking skills with several non-drug strategies. canonical: https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-22T17:20:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:47:08.032Z article:section: Health og:title: These Non-Drug Methods Could Help People With Alzheimer's, Study Suggests og:description: There's no drug to treat the cognitive disease, but these alternatives may help og:url: https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0c25f4baa3868e2/6988f90697cdff05356b405d/alzheimers-treatments.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4288 og:image:height: 2412 og:image:alt: Alzheimer's Treatments og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Non-Drug Methods Could Help People With Alzheimer's, Study Suggests twitter:description: There's no drug to treat the cognitive disease, but these alternatives may help twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0c25f4baa3868e2/6988f90697cdff05356b405d/alzheimers-treatments.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Non-Drug Methods Could Help People With Alzheimer's Disease, Study Suggests > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=20323d99-786d-4b01-8272-0df62c3f073b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=20323d99-786d-4b01-8272-0df62c3f073b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=20323d99-786d-4b01-8272-0df62c3f073b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=20323d99-786d-4b01-8272-0df62c3f073b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Study: More People Die From Alzheimer’s Than We Thought [Watch (HLS stream): Study: More People Die From Alzheimer’s Than We Thought](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9fyDTyHY.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2014-03-06. An irreversible brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and eventually leads to death, Alzheimer’s disease was blamed for more than 83,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2010. But researchers believe the actual number could be six times larger._  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 22, 2018 5:20 PM UTC  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 22, 2018 5:20 PM UTC While there are no drugs that can treat Alzheimer’s disease and reverse the memory and thinking problems it causes, a new study shows that some [non-drug strategies](http://time.com/2982908/to-prevent-alzheimers-diet-and-exercise-are-effective-large-study-shows/) may help to improve cognitive skills in some people with the illness. About 25% of people in the world are born with one copy of a gene, called APOE4, that is linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. About 2% to 3% of the population has two copies of the gene — one from their mother and another from their father — that dramatically increases their risk for the disease. About 60% of those people will develop Alzheimer’s by age 85. In the latest [study published in _JAMA Neurology_](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2670443?redirect=true), researchers wanted to know if people with the genetic risk might also benefit from non-drug methods for keeping the memory-robbing disease at bay. Diet, exercise and being socially active have been linked to slowing the trajectory of the disease in some people, but studies on those with genetic risk factors like APOE4 have not been conclusive. In the trial, researchers in Finland took advantage of the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) to compare people with and without APOE4\. The subjects were randomly assigned to an intensive diet, exercise and brain training program, or to a control program of general health advice. Even though some of the people had the high-risk gene, they did not yet show signs of dementia of significant cognitive impairment; people with the most severe forms of dementia were excluded so the researchers could focus on subjects at the earlier stages of the disease. **MORE:** [Bill Gates Just Made a Massive Investment in Alzheimer’s Disease Research](http://time.com/5021339/bill-gates-alzheimers-research-dementia/) Because people with APOE4 genes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, some brain experts believe that they are more vulnerable to the effects of a poor diet, lack of exercise and minimal social interaction. The hope was that making sure people with genetic risk factors had a healthy diet, exercised regularly and were socially engaged might slow down the progression of the disease. It was also possible that, because the genes confer a higher risk of disease, the non-drug therapies would have little effect on their cognitive functions. In fact, among those assigned to the diet, exercise and brain training group, there was little difference on tests of memory, processing speed and executive functioning between people with the APOE4 genetic variant and those without the genetic variant. That suggests that the lifestyle changes may be equally helpful in people with or without the genetic risk factor. The results did not confirm that the lifestyle behaviors were _more_ effective in the people with the Alzheimer’s genes, but they are intriguing enough to inspire more research into how non-drug interventions could improve symptoms in people with the disease. The results also support the growing trend in the field to [study both drug-](http://time.com/4217067/alzheimers-from-a-new-angle/) and non-drug strategies as early as possible in the disease to prevent, rather than treat, the symptoms once they appear. ## Transcript An irreversible brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and eventually leads to death. Alzheimer's disease was blamed for more than 83, 000 deaths in the US in 2010. But according to researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago, the actual number could be six times larger. The study estimates more than 500, 000 people died from the disease last year. That would put it behind just heart disease and cancer as the third leading cause of death in the US. Cause of death figures are calculated using the cause listed on death certificates. The lead author of the study told CNN, death certificates are well known to under report Alzheimer's and many people don't even realize it's a deadly disease. The more immediate causes of death, such as pneumonia or heart attack, are usually listed, and the underlying causes of death are usually left off. There are an estimated 5 million patients living with the disease in the US. Doctors say that number could triple by 2050, if there are no medical breakthroughs. Actor Seth Rogen spoke on Capital Hill last week about the need for more research funding. It needs to be yelled and screamed to the point that it finally gets the attention and the funding that it deserves and needs. Alzheimer's Association advisory groups estimated it would take $ 20 billion over the next ten years to make a significant difference in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The National Institutes of Health spent $ 503 million in Alzheimer's research in 2012. For comparison, it spent $ 5. 6 billion on cancer research. I'm Lauren Gorus. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/"},"headline":"These Non-Drug Methods Could Help People With Alzheimer's Disease, Study Suggests","datePublished":"2018-01-22T17:20:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T08:47:08.032Z","description":"Even people with genes that put them at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s can improve their thinking skills with these non-drug strategies","url":"https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/","keywords":["diseases","Genetics","Brain","Alzheimer's","onetime","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0c25f4baa3868e2/6988f90697cdff05356b405d/alzheimers-treatments.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0c25f4baa3868e2/6988f90697cdff05356b405d/alzheimers-treatments.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Alzheimer's Treatments","caption":"Alzheimer's Treatments","creditText":"AFP—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/diseases/","name":"diseases"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/","name":"These Non-Drug Methods Could Help People With Alzheimer's Disease, Study Suggests"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Study: More People Die From Alzheimer’s Than We Thought","description":"An irreversible brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and eventually leads to death, Alzheimer’s disease was blamed for more than 83,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2010. But researchers believe the actual number could be six times larger.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/9fyDTyHY/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-03-06T17:21:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9fyDTyHY.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/","duration":"PT1M22S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5112698/alzheimer-non-drug-treatments/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```