An enlightening scientific study has recently highlighted a pervasive habit that may detrimentally affect memory and cognitive function. This habit could even heighten the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
We all acknowledge that constant phone use doesn’t benefit our health or mental well-being. However, there exists a habit more prevalent than incessantly tapping on our devices that might also impact our brains.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have conducted a study examining the health effects of extended periods of sitting.
While many people are aware that prolonged sitting without breaks can lead to weight gain, there’s more at stake when considering the mental effects of increased sedentary lifestyle.
If you’re among the average adults who spend about 10 hours seated daily, as indicated by a Harvard study, it’s worth taking note…
The study involved 404 participants, all adults over 50, who were dementia-free at the study’s start.
Participants required ‘adequate auditory and visual acuity, English proficiency, and a dependable study partner’, while those with ‘neurological disorders, major psychiatric illness, or terminal illness’ were excluded, according to the study published in Wiley.
Participants went through actigraphy tests, neuropsychological assessments, and brain MRI scans.
Cleveland Clinic explains that actigraphy is ‘a technique to measure your activity’, involving a wearable device that tracks movement and sleep patterns, impacting overall health.
Neuropsychological tests assess ‘how well your brain works,’ examining mental functions like reading, language, attention, learning, processing speed, reasoning, memory, problem-solving, mood, and behavior, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Johns Hopkins Medicine describes an MRI as ‘a diagnostic test that creates detailed images of body structures and organs’ using magnets and radio waves rather than ionizing radiation.
The study analyzed the test results, comparing the ‘cross-sectional and longitudinal liner regressions’ of brain structure and cognition with the duration participants spent sitting—averaging 13 hours daily, as Earth.com reported.
But what were the findings?
Despite ‘most’ participants meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended 150 minutes of ‘Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity’ (MVPA) weekly, prolonged sitting detrimentally affected their brains.
“MVPA was strongly and inversely correlated with sedentary behavior,” states the study, indicating that exercising won’t completely counteract the harm caused by extended sitting.
The research noted that longer sitting times correlated with poorer ‘episodic memory performance.’
Extended sedentary time was also associated with ‘smaller hippocampal volume, worse naming, and processing speed,’ with hippocampal volume being crucial for memory and learning.
Moreover, the study found that increased sedentary behavior correlates with ‘a smaller AD-neuroimaging signature of cortical thickness,’ suggesting that ‘sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.’
The study advocates reducing sedentary time, ‘particularly among aging adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease.’
As Medical.Net quotes, Marissa Gogniat, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Pittsburgh, advises: “Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day. Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
This study isn’t the only one warning about the dangers of sitting and its brain impact.
In 2022, Harvard referenced a 2018 PLOS One study linking excessive sitting to ‘changes in a brain area crucial to memory.’
The results showed that those who sat for prolonged periods had a thinner medial temporal lobe (MTL).
Since thinning in this brain area is associated with early memory problems and dementia, researchers warned that too much sitting might raise the risk of cognitive decline.
Perhaps it’s time to reconsider your home work setup.