- Researchers investigated the effects of different types of movement behavior on midlife cognition.
- They found that trading as little as 7-9 minutes of sedentary behavior for moderate or vigorous physical activity could significantly improve cognition.
- The findings suggest that higher levels of moderate or vigorous physical activity could improve cognition.
Physical activity is linked to the building of cognitive reserve, which
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Few studies have also assessed the effects of sleep time on cognition, despite it typically being the largest component of the day, and a major confounder of cognitive test performance.
Further research that assesses the effects of movement behavior and sleep on midlife cognition could help improve prevention strategies for cognitive decline at a later age.
Recently, researchers assessed the link between cognitive test scores and 24-hour movement behaviors from 4,481 U.K.-based participants.
“We identified that individuals spending even small amounts of more time in more vigorous activities—as little as [around] 6-9 minutes—compared to sitting, sleeping or gentle activities had higher cognition scores,” John Mitchell, MRC doctoral student, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, one of the study’s authors, told Medical News Today.
The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The researchers analyzed data from the 1970 British Cohort Study, a prospective birth cohort study of U.K.-born adults. Altogether, they assessed data from 4,481 participants at an average of 47 years old.
For the study, participants undertook cognitive tests of verbal memory and verbal fluency and wore an accelerometer…
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