A few years ago the media was awash with stories about the dangers of our sedentary work lives.  We were told that “sitting was the new smoking”, with the lack of movement in the average desk-based worker having a significant impact upon their health and wellbeing.

Researchers from the University of South Australia poured scorn on this suggestion, but not because sitting for 8 hours or so per day was necessarily good for us, simply that smoking is really bad, and prolonged sitting wasn’t quite as unhealthy as smoking.

The articles prompted a whole bunch of soul searching as to how we could be more active at work to prevent these health problems from building up.  New research from the University of Cambridge reminds us that while sitting can be bad for our physical health, it seems to have benefits for our mental health, and especially for our cognition.

Cognitive health

It’s fairly well known that a lack of physical activity comes not only with physical health risks, but can cause mental health issues, such as memory and concentration problems.  What is less clear is whether physical activity can help to buffer any potential risk of cognitive decline as we get older.

The researchers examined the physical activity of around 8,500 men and women aged between 40 and 79 years of age.  The volunteers were pooled from a range of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds to try and provide a representative cross section of society.  The researchers were especially keen to try and distinguish between physical activity done during work hours, and those performed in one’s leisure time.

“The often used mantra ‘what is good for the heart, is good for the brain’ makes complete sense, but the evidence on what we need to do as individuals can be confusing,” the researchers say. “With our large cohort of volunteers, we were able to explore the relationship between different types of physical activity in a variety of settings.”

Health test

The volunteers completed a questionnaire on both their health and lifestyle, which included questions on their physical activity both at work and in their personal life.  They also underwent a health examination.

After approximately 12 years, each of the volunteers was asked back to complete a series of tests that were designed to measure various aspects of their cognition, including their attention, memory and visual processing speed.

The analysis revealed that those with few to no qualifications were much more likely to have physically active jobs, but this activity level didn’t extend to their personal lives.  It also appeared that a desk-based job was linked with a lower risk of poor cognition, with this finding holding regardless of one’s education.  For those who spent the entirety of the research in desk work were most likely to be in the top 10% of cognitive performers.

“Our analysis shows that the relationship between physical activity and cognitive is not straightforward,” the researchers say. “While regular physical activity has considerable benefits for protection against many chronic diseases, other factors may influence its effect on future poor cognition.”

The mental stimulation provided by desk jobs seems to act as a buffer against cognitive decline as we age.  While this shouldn’t be taken as an excuse to overlook the physical health issues associated with prolonged sitting at work, it does add a degree of nuance to the debate.