New horizons in cooking and mealtime interventions for mild cognitive impairment and early dementia: a scoping review
- 1Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States of America
- 2Gustave L. and Janet W. Levy Library, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States of America
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are increasingly common conditions that are highly disruptive to individuals and families. ADRDs impact cognition and can undermine a person’s ability to participate in cooking, preparing meals, and engaging in conversations. Mealtime participation implicates key determinants of adequate nutritional intake and social connectedness. However, engaging in mealtime routines amid challenges can also exacerbate the stress and burden felt by family caregivers. Behavioral interventions can mitigate these downstream impacts, though they are currently underdeveloped.
Objective: To summarize the literature on cooking and mealtime interventions for community-dwelling people with dementia and their caregivers.
Design: Scoping review.
Methods: We searched databases up to May 2025 for English-language publications that described qualitative and quantitative research surrounding interventions focused on cooking and mealtime interventions for individuals living with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and ADRDs. At least two reviewers independently identified publications and extracted population characteristics, intervention components, and intervention outcomes. Included articles were published between 2007–2024.
Results: Qualitative and mixed methods studies (n = 12) highlighted potential mechanisms for intervention, including cultivating routines for mealtimes (e.g., eating together, minimizing distractions, adaptive tools) and caregiver coping skills and training (e.g., distress tolerance, communication to emphasize respect/dignity, and social routines). Intervention studies (n = 10) included caregiver skills training, education and cognitive rehabilitation-integrated cooking. Interventions were generally feasible; however, few were evaluated in randomized trials, and none underwent efficacy testing.
Conclusion: Cooking and mealtime interventions hold promise for addressing determinants of aging in ADRDs, though further randomized controlled efficacy trials are needed.
Related
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- Secondary mental healthcare utilisation and costs before and after diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia: a retrospective observational cohort study from a South London mental health service.
- Comparative efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a network meta-analysis
- Diagnostic reversion in dementia care: A real‐world analysis of mild cognitive impairment diagnoses after dementia in a large electronic medical record system
- Extracellular vesicles in vascular cognitive impairment and dementia: a neurovascular evidence map for patient stratification and clinical translation
BibTeX
@article{bannon2026horizons,
title = {{New horizons in cooking and mealtime interventions for mild cognitive impairment and early dementia: a scoping review}},
author = {Sarah M. Bannon and Renata Elizalde Carrillo and Sydney McCage and Muhammad Hamza Shahab and Grace O. Allison and Aida Aminpour and Carrie Levinson and Alexander M. Presciutti and Anne Fishel},
journal = {The Journal of Nutrition, Health \& Aging},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jnha.2026.101009},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnha.2026.101009},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - New horizons in cooking and mealtime interventions for mild cognitive impairment and early dementia: a scoping review
AU - Sarah M. Bannon
AU - Renata Elizalde Carrillo
AU - Sydney McCage
AU - Muhammad Hamza Shahab
AU - Grace O. Allison
AU - Aida Aminpour
AU - Carrie Levinson
AU - Alexander M. Presciutti
AU - Anne Fishel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging
DO - 10.1016/j.jnha.2026.101009
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnha.2026.101009
AB - Background: Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are increasingly common conditions that are highly disruptive to individuals and families. ADRDs impact cognition and can undermine a person’s ability to participate in cooking, preparing meals, and engaging in conversations. Mealtime participation implicates key determinants of adequate nutritional intake and social connectedness. However, engaging in mealtime routines amid challenges can also exacerbate the stress and burden felt by family caregivers. Behavioral interventions can mitigate these downstream impacts, though they are currently underdeveloped. Objective: To summarize the literature on cooking and mealtime interventions for community-dwelling people with dementia and their caregivers. Design: Scoping review. Methods: We searched databases up to May 2025 for English-language publications that described qualitative and quantitative research surrounding interventions focused on cooking and mealtime interventions for individuals living with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and ADRDs. At least two reviewers independently identified publications and extracted population characteristics, intervention components, and intervention outcomes. Included articles were published between 2007–2024. Results: Qualitative and mixed methods studies (n = 12) highlighted potential mechanisms for intervention, including cultivating routines for mealtimes (e.g., eating together, minimizing distractions, adaptive tools) and caregiver coping skills and training (e.g., distress tolerance, communication to emphasize respect/dignity, and social routines). Intervention studies (n = 10) included caregiver skills training, education and cognitive rehabilitation-integrated cooking. Interventions were generally feasible; however, few were evaluated in randomized trials, and none underwent efficacy testing. Conclusion: Cooking and mealtime interventions hold promise for addressing determinants of aging in ADRDs, though further randomized controlled efficacy trials are needed.
SN - 1279-7707
SN - 1760-4788
ER -