A new study suggests that spending hours every day in front of the television isn’t doing your brain any favors. Researchers found that people who reported watching television more often in midlife had smaller brain volumes decades later in areas involved in language and thinking.
Understanding the Study
The study analyzed data from more than 1,700 participants in a long-running study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Middle-aged participants reported how often they watched television and how much they sat at work during the previous year.
People who reported watching television “very often” often had smaller volumes in several brain regions, including in parts involved in cognitive control and language as well as areas that are especially vulnerable early in Alzheimer’s disease. These viewers also had more white matter hyperintensities, which are changes seen on MRI that reflect injury to the brain’s small blood vessels and have been linked to cognitive decline and dementia.
Expert Insights
CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and clinical associate professor at George Washington University, notes that the study doesn’t prove that watching television causes negative brain changes. However, the findings add to growing evidence that prolonged passive, sedentary behavior is not ideal for long-term brain health.
Dr. Wen suggests that people should think about how much time is spent in passive screen-based activities and what those activities may be replacing. If several hours of television or scrolling through social media are taking the place of exercise, in-person social interactions, reading, or other mentally stimulating activities, that’s not ideal for brain health.
Regular physical activity, controlling blood pressure, treating chronic conditions, avoiding smoking, limiting excessive alcohol use, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a healthy weight are all evidence-based ways to protect brain health as we age.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
