A healthy lifestyle is the best medicine for offsetting cognitive impairment or early dementia, according to new research. Lead researcher Dr. Dean Ornish found that 71% of patients who ate healthy & exercised regularly had improvements in their dementia symptoms. Meanwhile, 68% of patients in a control group who did not adopt healthy lifestyle habits experienced worsening symptoms. The healthy lifestyle changes that the study group implemented are very simple and easy to follow. This included a plant-based diet, 30 minutes of exercise daily, stress management such as meditation, and support groups for patients. "In contrast, the intensive lifestyle changes implemented in this study have been shown here to improve cognition and function, at a fraction of the cost -- and the only side effects are positive ones," said Lead Researcher and President of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Dr. Dean Ornish.