A new study reveals that spending more than 10 hours a day in front of the television, at a desk, or behind the wheel significantly increases the risk of dementia. Researchers found that the likelihood of developing the disease sharply rises among adults who are sedentary throughout the day.
Over 10 Hours of Sitting – Higher Dementia Risk
The team analyzed data from over 50,000 British adults aged 60 and older. Participants wore wrist devices 24 hours a day for a week. The devices tracked activity and could distinguish between sitting and sleeping positions.
Sitting included watching television, driving, playing video games, using a computer, commuting in transport, or working at a desk. Participants were monitored for about six years, during which 414 of them were diagnosed with dementia.
Meanwhile, participants whose sedentary time reached 12 hours a day had a 63% higher chance of receiving this diagnosis. Those who spent 15 hours sitting each day had three times the risk of developing the disease.
Breaks Don’t Matter After 10 Hours of Sitting
Study author Jean Alexander told the Daily Mail that her team was surprised to find the risk of dementia begins to rise sharply after 10 hours of daily sedentary behavior, regardless of how that sitting time accumulates. This suggests that total sitting time determines the link between sedentary behavior and dementia risk.
Lower levels of sedentary time—roughly up to 10 hours—weren’t associated with increased risk. The study also examined how sedentary behavior accumulates throughout the day. For instance, prolonged sitting followed by activity or sitting interspersed with standing showed a similar connection to dementia risk.
Professor David Raichlen, who also worked on the study, said many people know the common advice to break up long periods of sitting by standing or walking every 30 minutes. But their team found that total sitting time matters more than the length of any single sitting period.
Dementia: A Growing Global Challenge
Dementia describes a range of progressive neurological disorders that damage the brain and affect memory, thinking, and behavior. Each person experiences the disease differently, and the risk of developing it increases significantly with age.
Dementia is a growing global concern as the number of people affected rises each year. There is no cure, and current experimental treatments may only slow its progression. So doctors still recommend lifestyle changes and habits that lower dementia risk as the main way to prevent this age-related condition.
