Dementia, Protein, and Exercise

Name: Dementia, Protein, and Exercise
Creator: Austin Whittall
Published: 03/09/2026 11:11:00

Diet + Physical Activity promotes autonomy in Older adults with Dementia

By Austin Whittall | Updated 09.March.2026.

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First published: March 09, 2026

Summary: Exercise and high protein intake can improve healthspan in Adults with Dementia

The Karolinska institute published a paper by Wimo, Cederholm, Irving, et al., (2026)(1), reporting the positive effects of physical activity and a proteic diet on patients who are proided with care due to dementia. Although the paper cautions that it is a preliminary analysis, and that other factors have to be analyzed in Depth (such as the organization of the cargiving services, the daily routines of caregiving centers, the number of caregivers, and the use of caregiving time), it reveals that older people with dementia can lead more autonomous lives by adding PA and proteic diets to their routines.

infograph senior and caregiver — Diet, exercise and cognitive decline. A. Whittall

Key findings and their impact on cognitive decline

The paper notes that older adult residents who are provided with institutional care may have a risk of malnutrition and fraility due to the loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia), partly induced by lack of physical activity. In this study, a sample of 102 older adults were split into a control group, and an intervention group. The latter engaged in physical activity (sit-to-stand exercises with repetitions), and protein-enriched supplementation was provided.

The 3-month-long study revealed that the intervention group required significantly less caregiver time than the control group (which had continued with the regular sedentary lifestyle and food).

Caregiver time in the intervention group was significantly lower at follow-up... in the dementia units, that is, 55 min/day and resident compared to 83 min/day in the control group Wimo, Cederholm, Irving, et al., (2026)(1)

This study focused on Caregiver Time (CGT) because it is expensive in long-term institutional care, and in developed countries with an aging population the welfare systems are demanding higher resources to provide long-term institutional care.

Lack of staff, or a low ratio of staff to residents is a problema that requires new strategies to use this resource in a more efficent manner.

This study focused on Caregiver Time as a parameter to be optimized, and analyzed data from the Older Persons Exercise and Nutrition (OPEN), which is a program including exercise and nutrition. OPEN uses sit-to-stand repetition exercises (4 times a day, 7 days a week) combined with a liquid protein-rich oral supplement (125 g, with 18 g of protein and 300 kcal, twice a day, 7 days per week).

An important outcome of the OPEN study was "that chair-rise capacity… was significantly better among the 40% of the participants who could adhere to the intervention program to a greater extent compared to controls and low-adherers. Body weight and muscle mass were also substantially improved."

The researchers noted that in Sweden CGT was around 120 min/day, while in Germany, it was around 70 min/day.

Take Home Points

Those who stuck to the program were able to engage in more autonomous activities, on their own, requiring less caregiving time, for instance, for getting up, walking, or getting dressed. They could do more things by themselves.

The mechanism is simple: exercise improves strength, balance, mobility and protein helps maintain and improve muscle mass. These factors can mean the difference between being able to stand up by themselves. Gaining personal control over one's life is important, and it also reduces the workload of the caregivers, who can use that time for other caregiving purposes.