An "active" workstation may improve brain health

BOSTON - Having an "active" workstation may improve your brain health. These workstations incorporate a walking pad, bike, stepper, and/or standing desk. In other words, a "desk" that involved something other than sitting.

A team at the Mayo Clinic placed 44 participants in four office settings over four days and analyzed their neurocognitive function including reasoning, memory, concentration, and typing speed. They found while using the active workstations, their brain function either improved or stayed the same.

Reasoning scores also improved when standing, stepping, or walking compared to sitting, though typing speed slowed.

But perhaps, healthcare providers should mention active workstations when counseling patients about ways to prevent obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-study-finds-active-workstations-may-improve-cognitive-performance/

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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