Why ‘Binge-Watching’ That TV Show Now May Affect Your Brain Later

Recent research has found that people who watch a lot of TV in midlife showed reduced volume in certain brain regions. Image Credit: Digital Vision/Getty A recent study found that people who reported watching TV “very often” in midlife showed reduced volume in certain brain regions. This included areas associated with memory and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, smaller frontal and occipital lobes, and white-matter damage. This damage may be associated with dementia, stroke risk, cognitive decline, and aging. The researchers found that the sedentary behavior of watching TV may not have been the driving force behind these brain changes. You may want to think twice before binge-watching that new Netflix series, especially if you’re over 50. A new study, published July 10 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, found that people who reported watching TV “very often” during midlife had reduced volume in several brain regions more than 20 years later. The findings weren’t solely explained by sedentary behavior, either. People who spent much of the workday sitting for their jobs didn’t show the same brain changes, suggesting that what you d…