More than 6 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh discovers how lifestyle habits can influence the chance of developing the disease. According to a new research research published in Alzheimer & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s AssociationResearchers discovered that raised behavior, spent time spent with sitting or lying, in aging adults, it was associated with poorer cognition and brain shrinkage in areas related to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The research study was led by Marissa Gognia, PhD, university professor of neurology at Pitt and former postdoctoral fellow at the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, and co-author of Angela Jefferson, PhD, professor of the Vumancyt Memory and founder of Vanderbilttt
The researchers team investigated the relationship between sitting behavior and neurodegeneration in 404 adults aged 50 and older. Participants in the study wore a watch that continuously measured their activity for a week. Their sitting time was then related to their cognitive performance and brain scans that were recorded over a follow-up period of seven years. Participants who spent more time sedentary were more likely to experience cognitive decline and neurodegenerative changes, regardless of how much they have exercised. These conclusions were stronger among participants who have the Apoe-E4 Allele, a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, which suggests that shortening sedentary times can be especially important for older adults who run an increased genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease is not just to train once a day. Minimizing the time that is spent, even if you exercise daily, reduces the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. “
Marissa Gognia, PhD, university professor of neurology at Pitt
“It is crucial to study lifestyle choices and the impact they have on brain health as we get older,” says Jefferson, who has the Herbert O. and Vineta Christopher Directorship. “Our studies showed that shortening sitting time could be a promising strategy to prevent neurodegeneration and subsequent cognitive decline. This research emphasizes the importance of reducing sitting time, especially in aging adults with an increased genetic risk of taking Alzheimer’s disease to our brain’sness for our brains to increase active time. “
The study was funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging.