Desk jobs or the habit of sitting in one place for a long time has been shown in earlier studies to cause many health problems. Due to long-sitting jobs, the risk of a sedentary lifestyle increases, which is considered harmful to both physical and mental health. If you also work sitting for 8-10 hours every day, then there is a need to be alert about your health.
Researchers say people with desk jobs may be at an increased risk of developing serious neurological disorders over time, putting them at risk for serious diseases like Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's disease, one of the leading causes of dementia, is most commonly seen in people over the age of 60. However, this research has shown that the risk of this disease is increasing even among working people, for which everyone needs to be alert.
Sedentary lifestyle and risk of dementia
Till a few decades ago, the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease in adults was considered negligible, however, with time, such health risks have been seen increasing in this age group as well. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 55 million people are currently suffering from Alzheimer's-dementia.
Due to lifestyle problems, the risk of such problems has increased further. In a related study published in the JAMA Journal, health experts said that if you do a sitting job for more than 10 hours daily, then this condition can be the reason for developing dementia.
Sedentary behavior is harmful to overall health
The authors said in their report that more than half of Americans spend more than nine and a half hours a day sitting, and this habit is linked to cognitive and structural brain aging. Sedentary behavior includes not only sitting in the office for long periods, but also sitting for long periods watching television, working on computers, and driving.
What did the study find?
To find out how sedentary behavior is problematic for the brain, researchers collected data from the UK Biobank. Participants were asked to wear an accelerometer on their wrist for a week. A machine learning-based analysis was then conducted on the data collected to assess how sedentary they were.
When the data was analyzed, it was found that people who were sedentary for about 10 hours a day had a higher risk of dementia.
What do health experts say?
Regarding the risks of dementia, study researcher Dr. Shara Cohen says a sedentary lifestyle is already considered responsible for many types of health problems, including problems like obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and due to this the risk of dementia also increases. It is seen increasing. Physical inactivity is also harmful to vascular health; it can increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease by reducing blood flow to the brain.
(PC: Freepik)
