Scientists warn of link between watching too much TV and Alzheimer’s - The Independent

What the report says

The Independent reported that a long-running study has linked frequent television viewing in middle age with later-life brain changes associated with ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. The research, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, tracked more than 1,700 adults for nearly 24 years. Participants described their TV habits when they were in their early 50s, and researchers later assessed brain structure using MRI scans when they were in their mid-70s.

According to the report, men who watched TV frequently showed more signs of brain changes tied to cognitive decline, including greater white matter damage and smaller frontal and occipital lobes, areas involved in planning, decision-making and visual processing. The same pattern was not identified among women. Lead author Natan Feter of the University of Southern California told ScienceAlert the sex difference could relate to how men and women break up sedentary time, or to biological differences in response to long sitting periods.

The findings suggest the type of sedentary activity may matter, not only the total time spent sitting. People whose work involved long desk sitting did not show the same brain patterns, which researchers said may indicate that mentally active sitting is different from passive viewing. USC professor David Raichlen said the results point to paying attention to what people do while seated.

The study did not assess which TV programmes participants watched, and the evidence as reported shows an association rather than proving that television causes Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. Researchers also said exercise did not fully remove the observed link, while outside clinicians noted that more cognitively engaging viewing may differ from passive entertainment.