Abstract
Increasing evidence from animal experiments suggests that physical activity (PA) promotes neuroplasticity and learning. For humans, most research on the relationship between PA, sedentary behaviour (SB), and cognitive function has relied on self-reported measures of behaviour. Office work is characterised by high durations of SB combined with high work demands. While previous studies have shown that fitter office workers outperform their less fit colleagues in cognitive tests, the importance of PA and SB remains unknown. This study investigated associations between objectively measured PA and SB, using hip-worn accelerometers, and cognitive functions in 334 office workers. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was not associated with any cognitive outcome. However, time spent in SB tended to be positively associated with words recalled in free recall (β = 0.125). For the least fit participants, the average length of MVPA bouts was favourably related to Stroop performance (β = −0.211), while for the fitter individuals, a longer average length of MVPA bouts was related to worse recognition (β = −0.216). While our findings indicate that the length of MVPA bouts was associated with better Stroop performance in the least fit participants, our findings do not support the notion that more time spent in MVPA or less time in SB is associated with better cognitive function.
Highlights
There is substantial evidence that being physically active reduces the risk for all-cause mortality, the incidence of cardio-metabolic diseases, and some types of cancer [1]
While our findings indicate that the length of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) bouts was associated with better Stroop performance in the least fit participants, our findings do not support the notion that more time spent in MVPA or less time in sedentary behaviour (SB) is associated with better cognitive function
The main findings were that the proportion of time spent in MVPA was not associated with any of the cognitive outcomes, but among the less fit half of the office workers, longer average length of MVPA bouts was related to better Stroop performance, while for the fitter individuals, longer average length of MVPA bouts was related to worse word recognition
Summary
There is substantial evidence that being physically active reduces the risk for all-cause mortality, the incidence of cardio-metabolic diseases, and some types of cancer [1]. Increasing evidence suggests that the health benefit of being physically active extends to the brain and many of its cognitive functions [2,3]. Evidence from animal studies suggests that physical activity (PA) promotes neuroplasticity—a foundation for cognitive function and learning [2]. PA can be defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that increases energy expenditure above resting state [4], and is characterized by its modality, frequency, duration, and intensity [5]. The intensity of PA is often categorized into low (LIPA, including activities such as slow walking), moderate (MPA, e.g., fast walking), and vigorous (VPA, e.g., climbing stairs or running).
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