(NewsNation) — Regularly spending hours in front of the TV could have lasting effects on brain health, according to new research that links heavy television viewing in midlife to changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, published in Alzheimer’s Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, followed more than 1,700 people for nearly 24 years. Researchers tracked participants’ television viewing habits in midlife before later examining their brains using MRI scans.
The findings showed that men who frequently watched television had similar brain volumes in areas vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, more white matter damage associated with cognitive decline and dementia and smaller frontal and occipital lobes, which are involved in decision-making, planning and visual processing. Researchers didn’t find the same association in women.
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Surprisingly, the study found that people whose jobs required them to sit for long periods didn’t show the same brain changes, suggesting not all sedentary behavior affects the brain equally…