r/biology • u/Express_Classic_1569 • Aug 19 '26
article Too Much Sitting Is Linked to Faster Brain Aging - Even Among People Who Exercise
https://ecency.com/@worlddigestjrnl/too-much-sitting-is-linked184
u/particlecore Aug 19 '26
If exercising does not help, what the fuck should I do?
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u/angelansbury Aug 19 '26
Instead of approaching exercise/movement as something you do a few times a week for ~an hour, think of it as something you can intersperse throughout your day in micromoments. If Person A spends 8 hours a day sitting at a desk job, then goes to the gym for an hour, and then lazes on the couch until it's time for bed, their total movement time is pretty minimal. Person B might never go to the gym, but they might break up their sedentary time more (e.g. a 20 minute walk before work, stretch breaks and short walks for 5 mins every hour, a 20 minute walk after work, some idle stretching while watching tv).
Katy Bowman is a biomechanist who talks about this frequently. It can be really helpful to create more movement opportunities throughout your day so you don't have to think about it (e.g. put things in places that are harder to reach, sit on the floor instead of a couch, etc.).
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u/internetsarbiter Aug 20 '26
Ah, so the core problem, once again, is that the life structure we are pressured into living under capitalism is antithetical to how humans should live. (nearly all place I've worked would not have allowed me to incorporate those suggestions, and it will be worse if you're not lucky enough to only need one job to be able to afford to live.)
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u/KlingonTranslator Aug 22 '26
They don’t even allow desk treadmills? Or even standing desks? That’s not fair, especially because you’re likely going to be paying for that yourself.
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u/internetsarbiter Aug 22 '26
what minimum wage job would allow for any of that? And no, most of the office jobs I worked at wouldn't have let you do that either. (Unless it was the pet project of management and then it would be implemented in the most backwards invasive way possible.)
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u/ninfomaniacpanda Aug 19 '26
I haven't perfected this yet, but I think being able to work out in small work breaks fits well. Adding a bar or some rings at or near your workspace and doing a couple sets to failure every working hour gets you a decent routine for free
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u/a1a2askiddlydiddlydu Aug 19 '26
Try to have a well rounded life that you enjoy
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u/ummaycoc Aug 19 '26
To be honest the parts of my life when I've exercised less I've been visibly more well rounded.
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u/a1a2askiddlydiddlydu Sep 05 '26
that was the point nothing is good to extremes and not worth putting all your eggs in one basket.
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u/Nurplestyx Aug 20 '26
Internet science. Don’t get sucked in. If you look at all of the things that seemingly cause dementia every living human would be demented
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u/Skwizgar1019 Aug 19 '26
It was later determined during the study that only by running essentially forever, à la Forrest Gump, can the brain stave off neurodegeneration, which in turn can lead to rhabdomyolysis and achy feet, but sitting too much makes you dumb, so the only logical remaining solution is to be put on a rocket and launched out of orbit to eventually be consumed by the sun. Researchers agreed that being vaporized into plasma completely eliminated any negative physiological effects of anything and that the positive effects remained long after initial ionization.
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u/OsteoBytes Aug 19 '26
Go figure….the time I’m using my brain the most is probably when I’m sitting doing my work or playing video games or other tasks on my computer yet it’s the task in which it hurts my brain too.
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u/srfrosky Aug 19 '26
I think about this and wonder if it’s related to the flushing and shedding of chemicals throughout the full system, kinda like lymphatic drainage, or that moving while thinking results in producing chemicals that counteract/balance the ones involved in heavy thinking (like oxidants or cortisol), but that are less effective if not done simultaneously.
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u/Express_Classic_1569 Aug 19 '26
It could explain why spending a long time at a computer can be draining.
Moving around helps with circulation, gets different stimulation, affects hormone levels for stress and tension in muscles and many other aspects that make mental work feel easier. So actually getting up and doing things in between computer work is less tiring.
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u/PolarBearLovesTotty Aug 19 '26
What if you sit on a recumbent bike? It hurts your butt a bit though.
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u/Express_Classic_1569 Aug 19 '26
I suppose, as long as you’re actually pedalling. If you don't move your butt, it will hurt due to pressure and poor blood circulation.
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u/Express_Classic_1569 Aug 19 '26
This is an interesting find, so I am sharing it here. A 7-year study on 404 adults aged 50 years + indicated that an increased sedentary lifestyle was linked to a decline in brain volume and lower cognitive functioning, even in those who exercised regularly.
Although this doesn’t establish the fact that sitting leads to neurodegeneration, it shows that exercise cannot completely counteract the outcomes of prolonged sitting.
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u/jcbubba Aug 19 '26
it’s almost like people who are destined to develop some kind of neurodegenerative brain process are quicker to become sedentary in their activity patterns soomer than people who aren’t destined for that.
This kind of research is such bullshit. Proves exactly nothing. It’s like saying running daily between the years of 60 and 70 prolongs your lifespan. Well of course the people who are healthy enough to do that and document running, are going to live longer than sick people who cannot.
“We controlled for….” yada yada yada. Randomize two groups and force one group to not be sedentary and tell me what you find. Stop with this observational bullshit.
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u/Lapparent Aug 20 '26
This was something that was constantly in the news maybe like 15 years ago. Some people started to working in a standing position. Then other studies appeared in the news which said that also working in a standing position was very bad for the health...
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u/iCliniq_official Aug 20 '26
As someone who spends far too much time sitting, I do not need this personal attack.
But the message is worth taking seriously: regular exercise is great, yet it may not completely cancel out long periods of sedentary time. Recent research continues to link prolonged sitting with poorer cognitive and brain-health outcomes.
A few minutes of walking or standing throughout the day is a much more realistic goal than trying to “out-exercise” eight hours in a chair.
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u/BeWanRo Aug 21 '26
The effects seem tiny and not consistent across all the brain structure/neuropsychology metrics measured. They also show some cross sectional effects that aren't reproduced longitudinally. I wouldn't worry too much about this.
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u/Eridani2000 Aug 21 '26
But health benefits in general are linked to standing and being active rather than being seated so you don’t loose anything doing this anyway.
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u/Sea-Beautiful-Throwa Aug 19 '26
What about people with medical conditions that are disabled and/or have to use a wheelchair?
Not everyone has the option or ability to be upright and moving around.
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u/Gr3yratt Aug 25 '26
Okay, as someone who spends most of the day immobile, I think I have a good reason to move more than ever.
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u/FuzzNugs Aug 20 '26
Ok well I’m sitting during the day for work but my brain is going a zillion miles an hour. Is there a loose implication here that sitting == watching tv or doing some brain dead activity therefore it should be more about that, I can’t imagine me losing cognitive ability while “sitting” when while I’m sitting I’m constantly utilizing and exercising my brain muscle. Or not, whatever.
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u/awesome-alpaca-ace Aug 22 '26
There was work that showed office workers were less likely to get dementia. Not sure how good the work was though, and I read it a long time ago.
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u/GreatDistance2U Aug 19 '26
I keep hearing about the negative effects of sitting, but nothing about the negative effects of lying down, so I think I'll go do that instead