Scientists discover sitting for hours actually shrinks the brain in disturbing new study
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
A new study has found that sitting down too much might have a detrimental impact on your brain in the long run.
Yep, that's right; sounds like you can’t even enjoy a good long sit anymore...
Researchers from Vanderbilt University’s Memory and Alzheimer’s Center have been looking into the impact of a ‘sedentary’ lifestyle on the brain.
The scientists tracked 404 adults age 50 and older for seven years, tracked how much they sat and laid down, and compared it to how much their brain shrunk.
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This brain shrinkage is linked with worse cognition and brain shrinkage in areas related to risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
While some have believed that simply exercising regularly is enough to counteract this completely, the research doesn’t support this.
The study showed that even those who exercised for 150 minutes a week still experienced brain shrinkage if they sat for long hours.
Participants who spent more time sedentary were more likely to experience cognitive decline and neurodegenerative changes regardless of how much they exercised, they concluded.
Marissa Gogniat, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology at Pitt and former postdoctoral fellow at the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center led the study and commented on the university’s findings.
She said: “Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day.
“Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
The study's co-author Angela Jefferson, PhD and professor of Neurology and founding director of the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center at VUMC, echoed a similar statement about the importance of being active as we get older.
She highlighted that participants who carried theAPOE-e4allele, a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, may need to do even more to have an active lifestyle due to the increased risk of Alzheimers.
Jefferson said: “It is critical to study lifestyle choices and the impact they have on brain health as we age.
“Our study showed that reducing sitting time could be a promising strategy for preventing neurodegeneration and subsequent cognitive decline.
“This research highlights the importance of reducing sitting time, particularly among aging adults at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It is critical to our brain health to take breaks from sitting throughout the day and move around to increase our active time.”
So, if you read through this while sat down, I suppose you should go for a walk or something.