Even consistent exercise may not be enough to undo the effects of too much sitting.
Researchers from the Memory and Alzheimer’s Center at Vanderbilt University tracked older adults for a seven-year period, examining how long they sat, how often they moved, and how much their brains diminished in size. The report concluded that even the most active adults can experience brain shrinkage from sitting for extended periods each day.
Specifically, the study’s authors found that even people who engaged in 150 minutes of exercise each week saw their brains shrink over time if they sat for long hours each day.
Participants in the study sat for an average of 13 hours each day. That includes time spent working at the desk, driving in a car, or watching television on the couch. More sitting was correlated with thinner brains in areas responsible for memory and linked to Alzheimer’s.
The takeaway? Less sitting might help protect the brain against this adverse development.
Sitting has long been associated with negative health outcomes, and not just for the brain. A study from 2024 found that sitting too much could be as harmful to your heart as smoking.
Another study from earlier this year, detailed in The Dallas Express, concluded that individuals who spend more time sitting were linked to a higher risk of developing conditions like stroke, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
The latest findings also concluded that people carrying the APOE-ε4 gene, which raises the risk of Alzheimer’s, were found to experience even greater adverse effects on the brain from extended sitting.
Too much sitting can reduce blood flow to the brain, limiting the organ’s oxygen and nutrient intake. With less blood flow, the brain cannot maintain strong connections between cells, shrinking the hippocampus over time.
Sitting can also promote inflammation, which can also harm brain cells.
While exercise helps, it does not fully hedge against prolonged sitting. As a result, researchers recommend breaking up sitting with frequent walks, standing, or stretching.