A ver menos tele! Nos vuelve dundos pero no nos quita lo elocuentes!

Too Much TV in Young Adulthood, Worse Cognition Later?

By Christine Sadlowski

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM

People who are both sedentary and watch a lot of television from young adulthood on have worse cognition in midlife, researchers report in JAMA Psychiatry.

More than 3000 U.S. adults described their activity levels and TV viewing habits starting at a mean age of 25 and periodically thereafter. At 25 years' follow-up, participants completed tests of cognitive speed, memory, and executive functioning.

In adjusted analyses, those who consistently had both high TV viewing (more than 3 hours a day) and low physical activity (the lowest quartile of sex-specific activity) were twice as likely to have poor cognition scores compared with participants with low TV viewing and high physical activity.

Each of the two behaviors was also independently associated with worse cognition. Processing speed and executive function, but not verbal memory, were affected by both behaviors.

The authors conclude that both behaviors may be modifiable risk factors for prevention of cognitive impairment.

JAMA Psychiatry article (Free abstract)

Background: NEJM Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicinecoverage of adolescent TV viewing and weight gain (Your NEJM Journal Watch registration required)