Dementia: The type of activity you perform while sitting may affect your risk of dementia, finds study

Using the U.K. Biobank data of more than 500,000 participants, they identified more than 145,000 participants aged 60 and older who were free of dementia diagnosis. With the help of touchscreen questionnaires, the dementia-free group self-reported their levels of sedentary behaviour during the 2006-2010 baseline examination period.

After a follow-up period of 12 years, the researchers found 3,507 positive cases of dementia through the hospital inpatient records. They then adjusted certain demographics and lifestyle characteristics, following which they found an association between time spent watching TV and dementia risk.

Even in individuals who were physically very active, time spent watching TV was associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, interestingly, leisure time spent using a computer was associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia.