Could just sitting around increase your Alzheimer’s risk? Scientists say yes

Could constantly sitting and lying down lead to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis down the line?

Researchers now say such behavior could increase the risk of the disease that contributes to the deaths of more than 120,000 Americans every year and nearly 7 million people are affected by it.

“Our study showed that reducing sitting time could be a promising strategy for preventing neurodegeneration and subsequent cognitive decline,” Dr. Angela Jefferson, a professor of neurology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said in a statement.

Jefferson was one of the co-authors of the findings, alongside, the University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Marissa Gogniat.

The research, funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging, was published Tuesday in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

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To reach these conclusions, the authors analyzed the relationship between sedentary behavior and progressive nerve damage around the brain among more than 400 adults who were at least 50 years old.

The participants wore a watch that measured their activity each week and researchers then took scans of their brains and assessed their cognitive performance. The study was conducted over the course of seven years.

Participants who spent more time sedentary were more likely to experience cognitive decline and neurodegenerative changes -- no matter how much they exercised.

“Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day,” said Gogniat. “Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

Furthermore, those who carried the APOE-e4 allele, a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, were even more likely to face those outcomes.

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The APOE gene is involved in making a protein that helps carry cholesterol and other types of fat in the bloodstream. Issues that occur in this process are thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.

The study’s findings add to previous research tying sedentary behavior to dementia. IN 2023, the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation said that older men and women who sat for more than 10 hours a day had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Experts advised people get up every 30 minutes to stand and walk around.

Sedentary behavior has long been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and other health problems. Sitting for too long can disrupt blood flow to the brain, according to Texas Health.

“It is critical to our brain health to take breaks from sitting throughout the day and move around to increase our active time,” said Jefferson.