Sitting too much thins the medial temporal lobe (MTL), the part of the brain known for forming new memories, reports a study from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Researchers questioned 35 people of ages 45 to 75 about how much time they spent sitting and exercising, then gave each participant a high-resolution MRI scan. Sedentary behavior was significantly linked to thinning of the MTL. Even increased levels of physical activity did not offset the harmful effects of sitting for extended periods, according to the research.

This article appears in the December 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.