Doing This In Your Free Time Can Increase Dementia Risk: 5 Better Alternatives by mindbodygreen

 My TV watching is maybe 2-3 hours a day, after 6-7 hours of computer time keeping this blog going. 

Doing This In Your Free Time Can Increase Dementia Risk: 5 Better Alternatives

Are you a die-hard Bravoholic? On your 12th rewatch of The Office in its entirety? Ever been confronted with your TV streamer's judgmental "Are you still watching?" notice? It's no secret that we're living in the golden age of television, and it's easier to get hooked on the best of old and new than ever. But science may have found a reason to consider pumping the brakes on your TV consumption—even if means trading it in for another form of screentime. The link between TV and computer time and dementia rates For a study published in the journa Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers set out to explore the relationship between sedentary activities and dementia. Namely, they looked at both TV watching and computer use and their correlation to the onset of all-cause dementia.

The bad news? Increased TV watching was related to increased rates of dementia. But interestingly enough, increased computer use was actually observed to decrease dementia rates. This relationship was observed regardless of physical activity level. It's important to note that this research was done on UK biobank participants, with the authors pointing out that the group studied lacked diversity in terms of race and ethnicity. They also note that the study relied on self-reported behaviors, which can always lead to imperfect data. There is no evidence to suggest watching TV in moderation is related to dementia risk. But while the study found compelling data on the overall trends of TV watchers, it does not propose a magic number of TV episodes that should be safe for cognitive health.

If watching TV is something you enjoy, there is no need to give it up cold turkey. But when it comes to TV time, this study suggests that moderation is key for healthy aging. Opt for a handful of shows you really enjoy, and consider swapping out hours of mindless watching for something more mentally stimulating. Here are a few habits to help you maximize leisure time in support of brain health: Go on a walk and put on a podcast or audiobook: Exercise is undeniably great for your health, and it helps protect the brain against cognitive decline. Educational podcasts can also get your mental wheels turning as you move. (Pssstt...if you need a good rec,the mindbodygreen podcast is full of health nuggets.) Pick up a page-turner: A long-standing leisure pastime, reading is a wonderful way to get lost in a story, learn new things, and flex your imagination. Plus, it's got tons of proven health benefits, including improving our memory and brain health as we age. Eat to protect your brain: In addition to spending your leisure time wisely, consider arming your brain with protective foods and supplements. Ingredients like citicoline all have impressive neuroprotective properties. Meditate: If you haven't picked up a meditation practice yet, this might be your sign. Even a short daily practice can work wonders for your brain and overall mental health

Champagne could be good for the heart—and other lessons from a new risk analysis

 Absolutely impossible! Don't you follow research declaring alcohol has no redeeming value? So, your conclusions can't be correct! Here is what your doctor will use, no thinking required:

Safest level of alcohol consumption is none, worldwide study shows

The latest here:

Champagne could be good for the heart—and other lessons from a new risk analysis

Drinking champagne may be associated with significant cardiovascular benefits, according to a new study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.[1]

The study identified dozens of lifestyle changes that may help lower a person’s risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Some of the changes—eating more fruit, losing weight—were straightforward, but a few of the research team’s findings were unexpected. Drinking champagne and/or white wine, for example, was linked to a reduced SCA risk. The same was also true for spending more time at a computer—though that may tell us more about education levels than screen time.

These findings all come from a new exposome-wide association study (EWAS) out of China. The study’s authors explored the UK Biobank study, focusing on data from more than 500,000 patients. They then looked for associations between SCA and 125 different modifiable lifestyle factors.

“To our knowledge, all previous studies on the risk factors of SCA were hypothesis-driven and focused on a limited number of candidate exposure factors grounded in previous knowledge or theoretical frameworks,” wrote first author Huihuan Luo, PhD, a researcher with Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and colleagues. “This might lead to publication bias distorting summary conclusions, and might increase the likelihood of false positive findings resulting from inter-related exposures. More importantly, the hypothesis-driven approach might miss important exposures or relationships beyond the predefined hypothesis. To tackle these limitations, a hypothesis-free, data-driven EWAS has emerged as a robust analytical framework for simultaneously exploring hundreds of exposures. This data-driven approach does not rely on previous knowledge, and facilitates the identification of novel or underexplored associations.”

Luo et al. identified 56 different variables that appeared to impact a person’s SCA risk. Making lifestyle changes based on these variables could potentially prevent up to 63% of SCA cases.

Spending more time at a computer, drinking champagne/white wine and eating fruit were all associated with a reduced SCA risk. On the other hand, negative “fed-up” feelings, greater arm fat mass, a higher BMI, higher systolic blood pressure and a lower education level were all associated with a higher SCA risk. 

The researchers did note that these findings must be examined closely. For instance, spending more time at a computer may not necessarily be helping patients—instead, it is more likely that individuals who spend more time at a computer are more likely to have more education in their background.  (I spend hours each day updating this blog, keeping me mentally challenged to stay ahead of your stroke medical 'professionals'! But that's not very hard to do, they don't follow or implement research. Why should they, it doesn't increase their pay package unless we finally get to pay for performance!)

Even with that caveat in place, however, it is clear that modifiable lifestyle factors make a substantial impact on a person’s odds of SCA.

“Our study identified a wide range of modifiable factors applicable to general population, and adherence to corresponding interventions could produce tremendous public health benefits,” the authors wrote. “Despite potential overlap among the population attribution fractions of individual risk factors, they might still be instructive because they might indicate the benefits of the risk factor itself, as well as its related factors.”

Click here for the full study.