A new study finds personalized lifestyle interventions not only stopped cognitive decline in people at risk for Alzheimer's, but actually increased their memory and thinking skills within 18 months, CNN reports.

"Our data actually shows cognitive improvement," said neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, founder of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center.

"This is the first study in a real-world clinic setting showing individualized clinical management may improve cognitive function and also reduce Alzheimer's and cardiovascular risk," Isaacson said.

The study was published Wednesday, October 30 in the journal "Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association."

"We need more of exactly this type of clinical trial," said Harvard professor of neurology Dr. Rudy Tanzi, who co-directs the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

"We spent so much time waiting for drug trials, but really there's a lot we can do to maintain brain health with our lifestyle," said Tanzi, who was not involved in the study.

"But it's hard to convince the public to do that in the absence of clinical trials to tell us that sleep and diet and exercise and meditation matter," he said. "The way this study was designed and carried out is a great guide for the future."