Some sedentariness May Not be Bad for Your Mind

Some sedentariness may benefit older adults' memory, particularly if physical activity benchmarks are being met, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Psychology and Aging.// It's generally believed that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and decrease chronic disease risk. But, when it comes to the brain and cognition, the study suggests that some sedentariness isn't all bad!

Aga Burzynska, Assistant Professor in the CSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies, studied the link between sensor-measured physical activity and cognitive performance among 228 healthy older adults, aged 60 to 80.

The study found that adults who engaged in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity had better speed, memory, and reasoning abilities. But, the data also showed that adults who spent more time sedentary performed better on reasoning and vocabulary tasks.

The research could be a bit of good news for the American population who spend a notable amount of time sitting for leisure and for work.

However, future studies are required to determine how exactly the participants spent their time sitting before any absolute conclusions can be made about sedentary activity and cognitive health.

Burzynska says the study strengthens the recommendation that regular exercise is good for general health, but for those who might not be physically active, engaging in more cognitively demanding activities could also be an option.

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Source-Medindia