Sitting too much can cause brain atrophy

Scientists have found that people with sedentary lifestyles often have a small area of ​​the brain (which plays an important role in forming memories) that shrinks.

Research from the University of California adds to the growing list of dangers of sitting too much.

A growing body of evidence in recent years has linked this bad habit to heart disease, diabetes, certain forms of cancer and premature death.

But new research, conducted on 35 people, suggests that sitting too much may also increase the risk of dementia.

Assessment of a key part of the brain showed that active people had larger areas of the brain important for forming memories.

People with sedentary lifestyles have less gray matter in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), regardless of whether they walk, bike or jog regularly.

Deterioration in this region has repeatedly been shown to be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged and elderly patients.

The study, published in PLOS ONE, asked volunteers, aged 45 to 75, about their exercise levels.

Each person underwent high-resolution MRI scans that provided detailed views of the MTL, the area of ​​the brain involved in forming new memories.

The research team, led by Dr. Prabha Siddarth, found that sedentary people had thinner MTLs.

Dr. Siddarth and colleagues found that this was true even among people with high levels of physical activity.

The researchers cautioned that the study "does not prove that sitting too much causes thinner brain structure."

However, research shows that "sitting more is associated with thinner brain regions."

Thinning of the MTL may be a precursor to cognitive decline and dementia in middle-aged and older adults, the researchers wrote.

"Reducing sedentary behavior may be a target for interventions designed to improve brain health in people at risk for Alzheimer's disease."

The researchers, partly funded by the US government, plan to follow up these initial results on a larger trial group.

This will help determine whether sitting causes brain thinning and the exact roles played by gender, race and weight.

Previous research has shown that physical activity is correlated with larger volume in the hippocampus, a small region important for memory deep in the brain.

The temporal lobes are located on either side of the brain, near the temples. They are responsible for memory, including recognizing faces and objects, and language.

Our everyday personal experiences, known as episodic memories, are closely linked to the hippocampus, says the Alzheimer's Association.

This region is “located in the temporal lobes on either side of the brain.”

"The outer part of each temporal lobe is where we store general knowledge, another type of memory called semantic memory.

“The left temporal lobe is generally responsible for facts, the meaning of words, and the names of objects.

"This lobe is central to understanding speech and conversation. The right temporal lobe is typically responsible for visual information. It is central to recognizing familiar objects and faces."

Sitting too much leads to difficulty going to the toilet?

Sitting too much may increase your risk of urinary problems, according to a study last month.

Sitting for more than 10 hours a day makes you 16% more likely to have urinary problems, say Korean researchers.

These problems can include frequent urination, slow urine flow and mild urinary incontinence — collectively known as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

Researchers at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul aren't sure why this happens but say sitting may affect blood supply to the pelvic area.

Looking at questionnaire responses from 69,795 Korean men, researchers compared sitting time with self-reported urination problems.

The health of these people was then followed for an average of two and a half years and the results were published in BJU.