Think those daily workouts cancel all that chair time? Not quite.
A new study warns that prolonged sitting could affect more than just your physical health. It may also lead to brain shrinkage and cognitive issues. Surprisingly, even regular workouts may not fully offset the impact.
The study, led by researchers at Vanderbilt University’s Memory and Alzheimer’s Centre, tracked participants over seven years and found that even those meeting the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise still showed signs of brain decline if they spent long hours sitting.
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For the study, 404 individuals over 71 wore wrist devices that measured their activity levels around the clock. Most of them met the recommended weekly guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise
The findings revealed that those who sat for an average of 13 hours a day had thinner brains in areas linked to memory and Alzheimer’s disease. They also experienced faster loss of hippocampal volume, a key brain area for memory that’s among the first to decline in Alzheimer’s.
“This research highlights the importance of reducing sitting time, particularly among ageing adults at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” says neurologist Angela Jefferson from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.”It is critical to our brain health to take breaks from sitting throughout the day and move around to increase our active time.”
“Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day,” said Marissa Gogniat, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology at Pitt and former postdoctoral fellow at the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center. “Minimising the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
