More than 1 in 9 Americans aged 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease. A new study reveals that increased sedentary behavior, either sitting or lying down, may increase the risk of developing this dreaded disease. Researchers from Vanderbilt University’s Memory and Alzheimer’s Center found that too much sitting, a modifiable behavior, can cause brain shrinkage in areas related to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Study Finds, sitting time was associated with worse memory and cognitive performance, especially in people with the APOE-Ɛ4 gene, which is linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Study participants included 404 adults aged 50 and older. They wore activity monitors on their non-dominant wrist that track their movements for seven years. Researchers noticed that those who were the most sedentary, even if they exercised, showed greater brain shrinkage compared to the people who were less sedentary.

Study subjects who carried the APOE-Ɛ4 gene had significantly greater reduction in total brain matter, frontal lobe volume, and parietal lobe volume compared with those who didn’t carry the gene variant.

The study was published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association and the authors noted that too much sitting leads to neurodegeneration, particularly for aging adults at genetic risk, but is a risk factor that can be changed.

In a statement from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, lead author Marissa Gogniat, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh and former postdoctoral fellow at the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, said:

“Reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease is not just about working out once a day. Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

The researchers added that to keep the brain healthy it is vital to take breaks from sitting throughout the day and move around to increase overall active time.