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Related:Light Physical Activity Might Be Enough to Stave Off Dementia, New Research Says
What the Study Found
To conduct this research, the team tapped into data from theU.K. Biobank, a vast biomedical database including participants across the United Kingdom. Over 100,000 adults agreed to wear accelerometers—wrist-worn devices that track movement—around the clock for one week as part of a U.K. Biobank sub-study. The researchers honed in on a sample of approximately 50,000 adults aged 60 and above who, at the study’s outset, didn’t have a dementia diagnosis.
The researchers examined the vast dataset of accelerometer readings using a machine-learning algorithm, classifying behaviors based on various physical activity levels. This sophisticated algorithm distinguished between different activities, including sedentary behavior versus sleeping. The amount of time spent engaging in various sedentary behaviors yielded critical insights.
After an average of six years of follow-up, the researchers identified 414 cases of dementia using inpatient hospital records and death registry data. They then adjusted their statistical analysis for demographics, lifestyle characteristics and chronic conditions that might influence brain health like heart disease or diabetes.
Dementia risk increased significantly for those who spent more than 10 hours of their day being sedentary, regardless of how that time accumulated. However, sedentary behaviors totaling around 10 hours or less showed no elevated risk. This discovery offers reassurance, particularly to those with office jobs that require extended periods of sitting. That said, individuals may reduce their risk if they limit their daily sedentary time as best they can.
Related:How 5-Minute Walk Breaks May Undo the Negative Effects of Sitting All Day, According to a New Study
“We were surprised to find that the risk of dementia rapidly increases after 10 hours spent sedentary each day, regardless of how the sedentary time was accumulated. This suggests that it is the total time spent sedentary that drove the relationship between sedentary behavior and dementia risk, but importantly lower levels of sedentary behavior, up to around 10 hours, were not associated with increased risk,” said study author Gene Alexander, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at theUniversity of Arizona, in astatement.
The Bottom Line
A recent study from the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona found that adults aged 60 and above who spent over 10 hours of their day being sedentary had a significant increase in their dementia risk. These findings carry profound implications, especially given that the average American already spends around 9.5 hours sitting daily. Fortunately, breaking periods of prolonged sitting with movement can help reduce this risk.
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