UNAM launches Mexico-wide trial testing exercise and supplements to slow early Alzheimer’s

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) will conduct a multicenter clinical trial from 2023 to 2029 to evaluate whether physical exercise and dietary supplements can delay the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led by researcher Luis Oskar Soto Rojas at the Laboratory of Research in Neurosciences and Neurodegenerative Diseases (LINEN) in the Faculty of Higher Studies Iztacala, will enroll patients from the Mexican Institute of Social Security’s Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI and several national health institutes. Participants will receive interventions with and without medication, and the trial will use advanced tools such as brain magnetic‑resonance imaging, blood biomarker analysis, genetic testing and artificial‑intelligence algorithms to assess clinical, molecular and microscopic outcomes. The project is supported by the U.S.-based Alzheimer’s Association and represents the first worldwide trial combining exercise with biomedical measures to explore potential benefits for memory and learning.

Mexico has an estimated 1.5 million Alzheimer’s patients, a number projected to triple by 2050, making the research highly relevant for national public‑health planning.