Link Between Sedentary Behavior and Dementia Risk: Study Findings and Recommendations

2023-09-15 15:11:00

Sedentary behavior is associated with heart disease and mortality, but its link to dementia is unclear. A study shows that being sedentary all day is associated with an increased risk of dementia in people over 60 years old.

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Sitting too long could affect the brain health of older people. According to a new American study published in JAMA, the risk of dementia began to increase after 10 hours of daily sedentary time, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and lifestyle. Note that the average American is close to this threshold, since they are sedentary for approximately 9.5 hours per day.

The researchers asked nearly 50,000 adults aged 60 or older — without a diagnosis of dementia at the start of the study — to wear a wrist accelerometer all day and for a week, to measure their sedentary behaviors. 414 cases of dementia were found after an average follow-up of six years.

Only total sedentary time counts

The study shows that lower levels of sedentary time (up to about 10 hours) were not associated with an increased risk of dementia. It highlights that the total number of hours spent sedentary matters more than the mode of sedentary behavior during the day. “ Total time spent sedentary, whether prolonged periods of several hours or periods distributed intermittently throughout the day, is similarly associated with dementia, said David Raichlen, co-author of the study. This should reassure those of us who have office jobs that involve prolonged periods of sitting…provided we limit the total daily time spent in a sedentary position ».

The authors conclude that more research is needed to establish a causal link between sedentary behavior and dementia risk.

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