A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined the effects of diet and exercise on 160 sedentary adults aged 55 and older with at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor and cognitive impairments without dementia. The participants were divided into four groups: those who followed the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension diet, those who took part in regular aerobic exercise, patients who did both, and patients who received only an educational intervention, and the study found that the groups that took part in exercise had better executive function at one year than those that did not, and the DASH groups had lower risk of cardiovascular disease.