HealthDay reported that older adults who get a lot of “screen time” may have an increased risk of developing dementia — but a lot depends on what type of screen they use, a new study suggested.

The study team focused “on over 146,000 participants aged 60 and older who were dementia-free at the outset and reported on various lifestyle habits – including how much of their daily leisure time they devoted to TV or computers and then following them for 12 years.

Experts stressed that the findings do not mean that TV watching causes dementia, or that browsing the internet will protect your aging brain.

But the study does argue for exercising both your body and your mind, said lead researcher David Raichlen, a professor at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles.

In general, he explained, research suggests that physical activity supports brain health as people grow older — possibly even lowering the risk of dementia.

By extension, it would seem that being a couch potato is a bad thing.

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

American Family Physician has compiled its best content on dementia here.

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