Science Editorial, 12 Sep (EFE).- Those over 60 years of age who spend more time sedentary may have a greater risk of developing dementia and this likelihood increases significantly when they spend more than ten hours a day in sedentary behavior does not require activity. .

A study published in JAMA also noted that the accumulation of sedentary behavior throughout the day was less influential than the total time spent sedentary each day.

The study’s lead author, David Raichlen, from the University of Southern California (USA), showed that the total duration of sedentary behavior had a similar relationship with dementia, regardless of whether the behavior accumulated over a few hours or intermittently over the period. day.

The risk of dementia “increases significantly” among adults who spend more than ten hours a day engaged in sedentary behavior such as sitting, watching television, or driving. The study reminds that the average American is sedentary for approximately 9.5 hours a day.

The researchers used data from the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database consisting of participants from across the country, for their study.

They focused on a sample of 50,000 people over 60 who did not have a diagnosis of dementia at the start of the study and agreed to wear an accelerometer, a wrist-based device for measuring movement, for 24 hours.

They then applied machine learning algorithms to analyze large data sets and classify behavior based on different intensities of physical activity.

After an average of six years of follow-up, the researchers used hospital admission records and death data to determine dementia diagnoses. They found 414 positive cases.

Results of statistical analyzes were adjusted for data such as age, gender, education level, race/ethnicity, genetics, and lifestyle characteristics (physical activity, diet, tobacco and alcohol use, self-reported mental health).

Although high sedentary behavior is associated with an increased risk of dementia, researchers found that there are some sedentary behaviors that are not associated with the disease.

“We were surprised to find that the risk of dementia began to increase rapidly after 10 hours of sedentary behavior per day, regardless of how that time accumulated,” said Gene Alexander of the University of Arizona.

“Lower levels of sedentary behavior, up to around 10 hours, were not associated with increased risk,” he added.

For Raichlen, these details “should be reassuring to those of us with office jobs that involve a lot of time sitting, as long as we limit our total daily sitting time.”