Research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh has identified sedentary behavior as an independent risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia journal, found that increased time spent sitting or lying down was associated with worse cognition and brain shrinkage in areas related to Alzheimer’s risk.
Led by Dr. Marissa Gogniat and co-authored by Dr. Angela Jefferson, researchers examined 404 adults aged 50 and older. Participants wore activity-tracking watches for a week, with their sedentary time correlated to cognitive performance and brain scans over a seven-year follow-up period.
“Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day,” noted Dr. Gogniat. “Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
The findings were particularly significant for individuals carrying the APOE-e4 allele, a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, suggesting that reducing sedentary time may be especially important for those with increased genetic risk.
“Our study showed that reducing sitting time could be a promising strategy for preventing neurodegeneration and subsequent cognitive decline,” said Dr. Jefferson. “It is critical to our brain health to take breaks from sitting throughout the day and move around.”
The study was funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging.
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