According to a recent study, people who work in physically demanding jobs are 55% more likely to have problems with thinking and remembering (i.e., dementia) than those doing sedentary work.

The study is based on the data of 4.721 Danish men aged 40 and 59 at the start of the study (1970) with physically demanding jobs. Think of masons, carpenters, plasterers, road workers and concrete workers.

Here is the emphasis lies on heavy physical work. Because moderate free time physical activity and other aspects of a healthy lifestyle, can actually reduce the risk of developing dementia by 50%.

You may ask, what does hard physical work have to do with your brain?

Heavy physical work doesn’t just wear out your muscles and your joints. It also has a negative effect on the blood circulation of the heart and thus on the blood supply to the brain. This can lead, for example, to cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart cramps and heart failure, but also to brain-related diseases such as dementia.

You see, even a healthy lifestyle aspect such as physical activity can have opposite effects.

Enjoy your physical activity, but in moderation!

Curious? Here is the source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.13846