Exercise plus cognitive training showed fewer later falls in mild cognitive impairment
Combined training showed fewer falls at later follow-up; earlier fall results were uncertain, and vitamin D added no measured benefit.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In older adults with mild cognitive impairment, combined aerobic and resistance exercise with cognitive training was associated with fewer falls at later follow-up. Earlier fall estimates remained uncertain. Adding vitamin D showed no measured benefit and increased walking variability, a marker of instability rather than an injury outcome.
These were secondary trial outcomes. The abstract incompletely describes the control and intervention groups, limiting assessment of what each comparison involved.
What researchers found
Incidence rate ratio for falls
At 12 months, exercise plus cognitive training had an estimated 0.24 times the control fall rate. This describes relative fall frequency, not an absolute reduction or the proportion of participants who fell.
Earlier results were uncertain
At 6 months, the fall-rate estimate across exercise groups was not statistically significant. The estimate for injurious falls also remained uncertain. By 12 months, the fall-rate result reached statistical significance.
Walking and falls differ
Exercise groups improved walking speed, particularly when exercise was paired with cognitive training. The abstract does not show that faster walking caused fewer falls, or establish benefits for people without mild cognitive impairment.
The original publication
Synergistic effects of exercise, cognitive training and vitamin D on gait performance and falls in mild cognitive impairment-secondary outcomes from the SYNERGIC trial.
Pieruccini-Faria F, Son S, Zou G et al.
Age Ageing · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40966614
- Record checked
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