Watching too much television may increase the risk of dementia in older people, according to a new study.
Spending more than three-and-a-half hours per day glued to TV favorites doubled memory decline in over-50s, the research team from University College London, who followed more than 3,600 over-50s for six years, found.
They say that couch potatoes may be harmed by missing out on other brain-boosting activities, such as reading a newspaper.
Screen addicts saw their “verbal memory” decline by around 10 percent over the six year period, while participants watching less than 3.5 hours daily only saw a five percent reduction.
Experts concluded too much telly seemed to be fueling brain power loss.
Further, the study found that just passively observing the screen — without interacting — may also stress a pensioner’s mind.
Researcher Daisy Fancourt said the findings raise questions about television viewing as a dementia risk.
“There has been interest for over a decade in the effect of television viewing behaviors on cognition, but much of this literature has concentrated on children,” Fancourt said.
“Much less attention has been paid to the effects of television viewing at the other end of the lifespan, despite it being hypothesized for over 25 years that watching excessive television could contribute to the development of dementia.
“Overall this suggests that adults over the age of 50 should try and ensure television viewing is balanced with other activities, such as reading a newspaper, listening to music or social interaction.”
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is one of the first to look at the effect of television viewing on older people’s brainpower.
“The research sends a clear message that while there are positive benefits to television viewing, that older adults should be mindful that too much may have negative consequences,” Bob Patton, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Surrey University, said.
“While TV may not rot the brain as traditional wisdom may suggest, even moderate watching is associated with some very real changes among viewers aged over 50.”
Chris Allen, from the British Heart Foundation, which part-funded the study, said: “If you’re concerned that the amount of television you’re watching could be having a negative impact on your health, we would advise limiting the amount of TV you watch each day.”
James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society reaffirmed that the study does not indicate that watching TV causes dementia, just heightens a person’s risk.
“We know that if you want to lower your risk of developing the condition, time spent binge-watching your favorite boxset could be better-used exercising, catching up with loved ones or learning a new hobby,” he said.