{"id":99100,"date":"2025-05-13T21:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T21:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/99100\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T21:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T21:40:11","slug":"the-common-habit-that-could-fuel-dementia-risk-even-if-you-exercise-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/99100\/","title":{"rendered":"The common habit that could fuel dementia risk – even if you exercise daily"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new study has warned that one physical habit could increase dementia risk, even if you regularly work out<\/p>\n

16:05, 13 May 2025Updated 16:18, 13 May 2025<\/p>\n

\"OneOne common physical habit could be a risk factor for dementia(Image: InYourArea)<\/p>\n

Scientists have long known that regular physical activity could help to protect the brain from developing dementia as people age.<\/p>\n

However, new research suggests that no matter how often you exercise, one physical habit may be increasing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease \u2013 the most common form of dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh reveals that too much sitting could fuel dementia risk<\/a> \u2013 even if you exercise regularly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The study found that older adults who spent more time sitting or lying down showed more signs of brain shrinkage and cognitive decline over time.<\/p>\n

Alarmingly, this effect was independent of how much physical activity participants got each day.<\/p>\n

\"ComfortingSpending more time sitting or lying down could fuel dementia risk, research suggests(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“Reducing your risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease is not just about working out once a day,” said Marissa Gogniat, assistant professor of Neurology at Pitt and lead author of the study.<\/p>\n

“Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease,” she added.<\/p>\n

The NHS<\/a> recommends that older adults, aged 65 and over, should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week<\/a>, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity if you are already active, or a combination of both.<\/p>\n

Previous research has shown that people who take regular exercise may be up to 20 per cent less likely to develop dementia<\/a> than those who don’t take regular exercise, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.<\/p>\n

The NHS also states that older adults should reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity.<\/p>\n

\"RegularRegular exercise has shown to protect brain ageing(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Using activity tracker watches, the recent study looked at the relationship between sedentary behaviour and neurodegeneration \u2013 the progressive loss of brain cells \u2013 among more than 400 adults aged 50 and older.<\/p>\n

Their activity was compared to brain scans taken over a seven-year period, which revealed that those who spent more time sedentary were more likely to experience cognitive decline and neurodegenerative changes regardless of how much they exercised.<\/p>\n

“It is critical to study lifestyle choices and the impact they have on brain health as we age,” said Angela Jefferson, professor of Neurology and founding director of the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer\u2019s Center at VUMC, and co-author of the study.<\/p>\n

She added: “Our study showed that reducing sitting time could be a promising strategy for preventing neurodegeneration and subsequent cognitive decline.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

Neurodegenerative changes were stronger in those who carried the APOE-e4 allele, which is a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer\u2019s disease, suggesting that reducing sedentary time may be especially important for older adults who already have a higher risk of the disease.<\/p>\n

The research, funded by the Alzheimer\u2019s Association and the National Institute on Aging, was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new study has warned that one physical habit could increase dementia risk, even if you regularly work…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99101,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[231,425,1630,105,6513,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-99100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-alzheimers-disease","9":"tag-dementia","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-health-and-fitness","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114502698730851542","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}