Warding off dementia means more reading, praying and listening to music: study

Researchers from the University of South Australia assessed the 24-hour activity patterns of nearly 400 people over age 60.

When it comes to brain health, the study found that the context or type of activity individuals engage in matters, news agency SWNS reported.

More than 55 million people around the globe have dementia, according to estimates from the World Health Organization. Another 10 million new cases are diagnosed each year.

Dr. Maddison Mellow, researcher at the University of South Australia, said that not all sedentary behaviors are equal when it comes to memory and cognitive health.

"In this research," she said, "we found that the context of an activity alters how it relates to cognitive function, with different activities providing varying levels of cognitive stimulation and social engagement."

"But until now, we hadn't directly explored whether we can benefit our brain health by swapping one sedentary activity for another."

She went on, "And while the 'move more, sit less' message certainly holds true for cardiometabolic and brain health, our research shows that a more nuanced approach is needed when it comes to thinking about the link between sedentary behaviors and cognitive function."

And "even small, 5-minute time swaps can help."

Researchers evaluated 181 potential risk factors, including demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle and health behaviors, health history, psycho-social factors and more.

The list of predictors, according to RAND, included "never exercising" and "low engagement in hobbies." 

Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.