̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Shabina Hayat

Desk-based jobs may offer protection against poor cognition in later life

cjb250 — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 07:37:28 +0000

Lack of physical activity and exercise are known risk factors for major health conditions, including cognitive impairments such as memory and concentration problems. However, evidence as to whether physical activity actually protects against cognitive decline has often been mixed and inconclusive.

Researchers at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge examined patterns of physical activity among 8,500 men and women who were aged 40-79 years old at the start of the study and who had a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and educational attainment. ̽��ֱ��individuals were all part of the EPIC-Norfolk Cohort. In particular, the team were able to separate physical activity during work and leisure to see if these had different associations with later life cognition.

“ ̽��ֱ��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,” said Shabina Hayat from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. “With our large cohort of volunteers, we were able to explore the relationship between different types of physical activity in a variety of settings.”

As part of the study, participants completed a health and lifestyle questionnaire, including information on the level of physical activity during both work and leisure, and underwent a health examination. After an average 12 years, the volunteers were invited back and completed a battery of tests that measured aspects of their cognition, including memory, attention, visual processing speed and a reading ability test that approximates IQ.

While many studies have only been able to report cross-sectional findings, the ability to follow up EPIC-Norfolk participants over a long period allowed the researchers to examine data prospectively. This helped them rule out any bias resulting from people with poor cognition – possibly as a result of cognitive impairment or early dementia – being less likely to be physically active due to poor cognition, rather than poor cognition being a result of physical inactivity.

Among their findings, published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers report:

Individuals with no qualifications were more likely to have physically active jobs, but less likely to be physically active outside of work.
A physically inactive job (typically a desk-job), is associated with lower risk of poor cognition, irrespective of the level of education. Those who remained in this type of work throughout the study period were the most likely to be in the top 10% of performers.
Those in manual work had almost three times increased risk of poor cognition than those with an inactive job.

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

“People who have less active jobs – typically office-based, desk jobs – performed better at cognitive tests regardless of their education. This suggests that because desk jobs tend to be more mentally challenging than manual occupations, they may offer protection against cognitive decline.”

It was not possible to say conclusively that physical activity in leisure time and desk-based work offer protection against cognitive decline. ̽��ֱ��researchers say that to answer this question, further studies will be required to include a more detailed exploration of the relationship of physical activity with cognition, particularly on inequalities across socio-economic groups and the impact of lower education.

̽��ֱ��research was supported by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research.

Reference
Hayat, SA et al. Cross-sectional and prospective relationship between occupational and leisure time inactivity and cognitive function in an ageing population. ̽��ֱ��European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) Study. International Journal of Epidemiology; 7 Jul 2020; DOI: 10.17863/CAM.51130

People who work in jobs that require less physical activity – typically office and desk-based jobs – are at a lower risk of subsequent poor cognition than those whose work is more physically active, suggests new research from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

̽��ֱ��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

Shabina Hayat

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Man working in an office

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A landmark study of health and lifestyle celebrates its 20th birthday

amb206 — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Participants in the EPIC-Norfolk Study will be meeting in Norwich tomorrow to celebrate a project that is making substantial contributions to our understanding of the role of lifestyle, in particular, diet and physical activity, and biological factors in health and disease.

̽��ֱ��research, which has helped us understand what we can do to maintain health in later life and has important implications for policy-makers, is sponsored by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. It is currently led by principal investigators Professor Kay-Tee Khaw and Professor Nick Wareham.

Continuing support from thousands of participants living in Norwich and the surrounding area is at the heart of the success of this study which relies on people giving up their time on a voluntary basis to contribute to the research.

Around 25,000 men and women living in Norfolk agreed to take part at the start of the study in 1993 and have been followed up to the present. Today the oldest participant is more than 90. All receive regular communications supplying them with updates on the research findings.

EPIC-Norfolk is part of one of the world’s biggest population studies with components in ten countries across Europe. When the programme was launched in the early 1990s, the people recruited were aged between 40 and 79.

̽��ֱ��research has led to a succession of papers which have added to knowledge about key aspects of health including common conditions such as heart disease and cancer, obesity, diabetes, eye health, and cognitive skills, and how these might be linked to lifestyle and genetic factors. Quality of life is an important strand of the research.

“We’re holding our Public Meeting event at St Andrews Hall, in Norwich as a way of thanking all the thousands of people who have helped us over the years – and will, we hope, continue to help us as we move into the next stage of the study,” said EPIC-Norfolk research co-ordinator, Shabina Hayat. “ ̽��ֱ��generosity of our participants is tremendous – their input makes the research possible.”

Though the original focus was on diet and cancer, from the outset of the study, the scope was widened to look at major causes of disability and loss of quality of life – including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and fractures, musculo-skeletal conditions such as arthritis, and more recently, memory loss, physical function, and eye diseases.

“Essentially data from the study represents a hugely valuable resource that can be used by our research partners and will eventually be used to inform future health policies and interventions to improve health,” said Ms Hayat.

̽��ֱ��EPIC-Norfolk study is unique in the detail with which it has examined diet, collecting data on 200 nutrients and more than 1,200 food groups. Food diaries were at the core of this strand of the work, enabling researchers to see patterns in food consumption. It was shown, for example, that just as alcohol consumption gets higher towards the end of the week and on Saturday, so does that of cakes and pies.

Key findings have included: the effects of ageing are highly variable with some older people having better physical and cognitive function than those 30 years younger; red and processed meat is associated with greater colorectal cancer risk, especially in individuals with low fibre consumption; and participants reporting higher television viewing (long periods of inactivity) have a particular risk of cardiovascular disease.

̽��ֱ��study has shown that people following four health behaviours (not smoking, being physically active, moderate alcohol intake and intake of five or more vegetables per day) can expect, on average, to live 14 years longer than those who don’t. Another finding is that it is better to eat a large breakfast and a small evening meal in terms of minimising weight gain.

̽��ֱ��current phase of the study is focusing on physical activity and body composition. When people put on weight, they collect fat in different areas of their body: some take on a pear shape and others an apple shape. Current research suggests that those with an apple shape (fat around the waist) have an increased risk of developing health-related problems such as diabetes.

By scanning participants to reveal distribution of fat around the body, EPIC-Norfolk aims to throw further light on this finding.

A landmark longitudinal study of health in the community will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Norwich tomorrow (10 October). ̽��ֱ��research, which adds significantly to our knowledge of public health, relies on volunteers who consistently give their time to science.

̽��ֱ��generosity of our participants is tremendous – their input makes the research possible.

Shabina Hayat

EPIC-Norfolk

A volunteer in the EPIC-Norfolk study

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