Good News About Desk Jobs

1 min

These new findings come from an examination of exercise among 8,500 adults aged 40 to 79 by researchers at the UK’s University of Cambridge. The study team focused on quantity and quality of physical activity during both work and leisure time to gauge its impact on cognition later in life. All the participants had a health exam and completed a health and lifestyle questionnaire that sought information about their physical activity at work and during their time off. After an average of 12 years, the participants were asked to take tests that measured aspects of cognition including memory, attention, visual processing speed as well as a reading ability test that approximates IQ. The researchers reported that people who had less active office-based jobs performed better on the cognitive tests regardless of their educational level. The investigators concluded that because desk jobs tend to be more mentally challenging than manual occupations, they may offer protection against cognitive decline.

Source:
Shabina Hayat, et al. “Cross-sectional and prospective relationship between occupational and leisure time inactivity and cognitive function in an ageing population. “The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) Study. International Journal of Epidemiology; July 7, 2020; DOI: 10.17863/CAM.51130

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