Regular exercise, less time on the couch and making sure to get enough sleep may reduce dementia risk later in life, according to researchers at York University in Canada.
Published in the scientific journal PLOS One, the team’s meta-analysis of dozens of studies concluded that “regular physical activity, less sedentary time and appropriate nightly sleep” of seven to eight hours can reduce the likelihood of cognitive decline over time.
“Understanding how each of these behaviours relates to risk over time may help researchers identify opportunities to support brain health across the life course,” the researchers said.
They described their findings as “consistent with” and expanding on previous research pointing in the same direction.
“Dementia develops over decades, and our findings suggest that everyday behaviours such as physical activity, time spent sitting and sleep duration may be linked to dementia risk,” the team said, emphasising that what they found was no more than an association and was not to be taken as proof of a causal link.
The Canadian findings were published days after researchers in Ireland found another association, linking vitamin D intake in middle age to a reduced likelihood of subsequent cognitive decline.
“Further studies – for example, a clinical trial – will be required to determine if vitamin D supplements could prevent dementia,” said University of Galway associate professor of medicine and Galway University Hospital consultant neurologist Dr Emer McGrath, whose team’s work was published by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
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Another paper published early April (2026) by the AAN pointed to yet another association, this time suggesting high-dose flu vaccinations could be a potential barrier against dementia. – dpa
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