Risk of dementia due to lifestyle and how to prevent it

A new study conducted by scientists from the University of Southern California and Arizona, USA, has just been published, showing the link between the development of dementia and a sedentary lifestyle.

1. The link between a sedentary lifestyle and the risk of dementia

A long-term sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes and is associated with the development of dementia.

After 10 hours of sitting still a day, a team of researchers from the University of California and Arizona found that the risk of cognitive decline increased significantly. This worries doctors because the average American spends nearly 9.5 hours immobile every day.

To conduct their research, American scientists asked 49,841 people aged 60 and over, with no signs of dementia, living in England, Scotland or Wales, to wear a certain type of bracelet continuously for a week.

The tool, called an “accelerometer,” measures how much sedentary time each person spends. The measures were taken between February 2013 and December 2015, before continuing until 2021 for England and Scotland, and until 2018 in Wales.

After a period of 6 years, an average of 414 cases of dementia were diagnosed. Faced with this result, Professor Gene Alexander, author of the study, explained:"We were surprised to find that dementia risk began to increase rapidly after 10 hours of sedentary activity per day, regardless of the cumulative duration of sedentary activity. This suggests that the total duration of sedentary activity determines the association between this behavior and dementia risk."

In the rest of the report, research on brain factors has reassured that a sedentary lifestyle reduced to a few hours a day does not increase the risk of dementia.

When you work in an office, it can sometimes be difficult to escape a sedentary lifestyle. So to limit its effects, Professor David Raichlen, who also participated in the study, analyzed that many of us are familiar with the advice to take breaks from sitting for long periods of time by standing up every 30 minutes to stretch or walk.

Total sedentary time, whether lasting for several hours or broken up throughout the day, was similarly associated with dementia.

2. Measures to prevent sedentary lifestyle, reduce the risk of dementia

- Exercise after 1 hour of sedentary work:If the nature of your work requires you to sit still for long periods of time, every hour of sitting at work you need to stand up, leave your seat, walk around gently, move your arms and legs, rotate your body, neck, shoulders, nape... and breathe deeply.

It's best to go to a spacious, airy place with lots of trees, fresh air, and quiet to relax and breathe deeply to recharge after an hour of sitting at work and limit sitting still for too long in one place.

-Take advantage of physical activity anytime, anywhere:Instead of using modern means, you should take advantage of exercising by more classic means. For example, instead of taking the elevator, you should take the stairs according to your strength and gradually increase the time you take the stairs to improve your health.

Instead of getting off at the exact bus stop you need to get off, get off a few stops earlier to walk a little further to work and back home...

- Regular physical exercise:To balance things out, to compensate for the large amount of time you spend standing and sitting in one place during the day, you should spend the rest of the day exercising in a way that suits your abilities, interests and conditions, such as walking, jogging, jumping rope, yoga, qigong, swimming, aerobics, dancing, classical dancing, badminton, table tennis, soccer, tennis...

In fact, many young people today often rely on their good resistance and flexible body so they rarely have health problems. They often do not participate in any type of physical activity. Even when they need to keep in shape, they choose to diet instead of exercising. So pay attention to your health and exercise to prevent the risk of memory loss.

-Limit dependence on electronic devices:The pace of life in the 4.0 era also affects daily living habits. Instead of going to the gym or jogging, many people choose to stay in a closed space and stick to electronic devices. They think that entertainment with electronic devices makes them feel more comfortable than having to leave the house to exercise. Children are exposed to technological devices from a young age, gradually creating bad habits of being lazy to exercise and avoiding outdoor physical activities.