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Watching TV May Increase Seniors’ Dementia Risk, Study Says

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How older adults spend their sedentary time — what they do while sitting —

makes a difference in their chances of developing dementia, according to research published

in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It found that those whose time sitting was primarily spent watching television

had a 24 percent increased risk for dementia, whereas those who spent that time on a computer

had a 15 percent reduced risk for dementia. The researchers explained that TV watching

is cognitively passive, meaning little thinking is required, while computer use is cognitively active,

meaning it (like reading) is more intellectually stimulating.

For both groups of study participants, their odds of developing dementia linked to their sitting persisted,

no matter how physically active they were at other times of the day.

Previous studies have pointed to physical exercise as beneficial to reducing risk for cognitive decline and dementia.

Hearing loss is a major risk factor for dementia. Hearing aids can help.

Dementia, which is not considered a normal part of aging, is an umbrella term used to describe a set of symptoms —

memory loss, confusion, problems with language and reasoning, and behavioral changes — that progress over time

and affect a person’s daily life and activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.

Today, about 6 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s and related dementias — most older than 65

and more women than men — and the number is expected to increase to 14 million by 2060, according to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As the researchers concluded, “reducing cognitively passive [sedentary behaviors] like TV watching

and increasing cognitively active [ones] like computer use, by even a small amount, may have an important

impact on dementia risk in individuals, regardless of their engagement in physical activity.”

This article is part of The Post’s “Big Number” series, which takes a brief look at the statistical aspect of health issues.

Additional information and relevant research are available through the hyperlinks.

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Staying intellectually stimulated and physically active helps improve interactions in relationships.

Hadley Finch

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