MELBOURNE, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Replacing passive sitting activities such as watching TV with more mentally engaging ones like reading or knitting could reduce the risk of dementia onset in later life, new research reveals.
The findings could potentially inform public health guidelines and preventive strategies to reduce dementia, co-author Professor David Dunstan, head of the Baker-Deakin Department of Lifestyle and Diabetes, said in a statement released recently by Australia's Deakin University.
The study found that mentally active sedentary behaviors, including reading, office work or knitting, appeared protective, while mentally passive sedentary behaviors, such as watching TV, listening to music or sitting in the bathtub, may increase the risk of dementia.
"While sitting is always physically inactive, we can still be exercising our brains, which can offset some of the damage sitting causes," Dunstan said.
Researchers analyzed data from 20,811 adults in Sweden aged 35 to 64 who were followed for 19 years. The baseline survey collected information on sedentary behaviors, physical activity and other dementia-related behaviors, while national patient and death registers were used to identify dementia cases.
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, also found there was no need to completely avoid sedentary activities such as watching TV, provided that a person engages in an equal amount of mentally stimulating activity each day. ■
