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Along Life’s Way
Should We Sit
This One Out?
By Lois E. Wilson
Recently, a research study about the results of too much sitting was
published. Do sedentary habits adversely affect the brain?
Thirty-five cognitively healthy people were studied—25 women and 10
men, ages 45 to 75. They were given physical activity questionnaires
and MRI brain scans. They reported sitting an average of 3 to 15 hours
per day.
The researchers adjusted for the subjects’ ages and found every
additional hour of average daily sitting was associated with a 2%
decrease in the thickness of the brain’s medial temporal lobe—MTL This
lobe and subareas around it are involved in episodic memory which
enables one to recall events from the past. The brain does shrink in
these areas naturally from aging.
The study found no significance correlation between the amount of
physical activity and MTL thickness. Additional exercise did not
improve the thickness. However, the study recommends getting up and
walking around periodically. It advises that metabolism may be involved.
Some personal comments about this study:
The sample group was small in number. It was not a long-term study that
began when the prime thickness of each subject’s MTL was known and
moved forward to measure any change. It was not a controlled study that
actually measured the subjects’ sitting times. It relied on the
information they provided. It did not appear to have considered body
types, genetics, or dietary patterns. It is not known how much of the
decrease is due to natural aging causes.
The researchers suggest that additional studies need to be done as to
sitting positions and to compare what people were doing while they were
sitting. Were they mentally active doing tasks such as working
crosswords, writing, or playing games? Or were they mentally inactive
while they were sitting, such as watching TV? Perhaps other studies
will eventually provide positive preventive applications to slow or
stop the MTL’s thinning.
This research information is a serious matter to contemplate. I’ll try
to lighten it with a bit of humor. Could it be that gravity is pulling
our brain cells down to the part of the body where we need more
cushioning when we sit? Shouldn’t we all be grateful that while we are
aging, there is at least one place on our bodies where we are getting
thinner? I apologize—I’ve been sitting at my computer too long and it
definitely has affected my brain!
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