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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 20 HEALTH/LIFESTYLE April 10, 2026 Want To Avoid Dementia? Here’s What The Science Says Y ou probably already know that sit- ting alone in front of the television or mindless scrolling on social media isn’t great for your mental or physical health. Now, new research suggests that these mentally passive hab- its might increase your risk of dementia. It also shows how simple changes to every- day activities can improve your long-term brain health. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, followed more than 20,000 Swedish adults be- tween the ages of 35 and 64 for nearly two decades. Participants tracked their daily activities, including physical activity and how much time they spent sitting. Researchers then classified sedentary time into two categories. Mentally active behaviors were defined as activities that required focus and deliberate engage- ment, such as reading a book, doing crossword puzzles or using a computer for work. Mentally passive activities were defined as those involving little cognitive effort, such as watching a TV series. Researchers found that people who spent more time in mentally passive activities had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia, while those who engaged more in cognitively active pursuits had a lower risk. This difference remained even after accounting for physi- cal activity, meaning that those who led a more sedentary lifestyle still benefited from greater mental engagement. These results are in line with our understanding of the brain as an organ that constantly adapts to how it is being used. Activities that require attention and problem-solving strengthen neural con- nections and reinforce networks used for memory and thinking. Low-effort activity does not provide the same stimulation. Other factors may also play a role, including that mentally passive activi- ties tend to involve prolonged sitting that reduce blood flow to the brain, compared with more engaging activities that involve movement and shifts in focus. There are two other findings from the study worth noting: First, research- ers noted significant benefits with small changes. Adding an hour of mentally ac- tive time was linked to about a 4 percent reduction in dementia risk. Replacing mentally passive activity with an hour of something more engaging resulted in about a 7 percent lower risk. Even better is combining those chang- es with physical activity. The greatest risk reduction was seen among mentally active participants who also achieved the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical exercise each week. Practically, this means people could see real benefits in cognitive health from small switches in their daily activities. For instance, choose to read a book instead of watching one more TV show. Stop scrolling on your phone and try a sudoku puzzle. Don’t just listen to whatever songs are on your playlist; find the lyrics and sing along. You could also add mentally active time by picking up a new hobby or honing a skill, such as drawing, dancing, learning a new language or playing an instrument. Second - and somewhat surpris- ingly - the effects of mental engagement appeared more pronounced in older adults. This might be because cogni- tive demands of work earlier in life offer some protection, whereas retired people simply have more time for passive leisure. It might also be that mentally engaging activities have a more direct impact later in life, when the chances of developing dementia are higher for most people. In either case, the takeaway is encouraging because it implies that adding more cog- nitively stimulating pursuits has benefits no matter a person’s age. The study’s major drawback is that it cannot rule out reverse-causation. The authors acknowledge that people with stronger baseline cognitive function might be more inclined to choose men- tally and physically engaging activities in the first place. Still, the study supports the association between mental and physical activity and dementia risk, adding to the growing body of evidence that lifestyle factors influence brain health. Among these factors is social connec- tion. Perhaps the most beneficial activi- ties are those that combine interpersonal interaction with mental stimulation and physical exercise. For instance, go for walks with a friend while engaging in a deep conversation. Join a group tai chi class. Tend a community garden, try ballroom dancing or volunteer to tutor for a local literacy program. Not only can these activities engage the brain and support physical health, but they can also open the door to new friendships and renew a sense of commu- nity and purpose. -TheWashington Post By Leana S.Wen Do Men Or Women Have Worse Farts? Science Has The Answer T he following is an excerpt from “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong,” by Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH, which will be published on Tuesday. Science has finally settled the age-old debate of whose farts smell worse - men or women. But to appreciate the answer, you need to understand how researchers figured it out. The methodology alone deserves an award. The man responsible is Dr. Michael Levitt, a gastroen- terologist who joined the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital in 1978. An Air Force veteran himself, he would become known as the “King of Farts” to his colleagues for his interest - and eventually unparalleled expertise - in one very particular subject: the status of flatus. Levitt didn’t ask for this honor. It was a life that was chosen for him. One day, while still a gastroenterology fellow, he was called into his adviser’s office and intro- duced to a new laboratory instrument: the gas chromato- graph. The tool could be used for many applications - to analyze gas content in soil or even in crime scene investi- gations - but to these two gastroenterologists, it was clear that someone should use it to better understand the most pressing of scientific needs: farting. And so, an illustrious career was born. Levitt eventually published over three hundred original scientific works, was honored with a Distinguished Achievement Award by the American Gastroenterological Association, and even consulted for NASA - developing spacesuits filtered with activated charcoal to prevent astronauts from having to inhale their own flatus during a spacewalk. But it was one particular study that put the gender debate to rest - and it is a study I return to often, both in my clinic and at dinner parties where I have, on occasion, misjudged the room. Levitt invited sixteen healthy men and women to con- sume items that boost gas production - pinto beans and a synthetic sugar called lactulose. Participants then showed up to the laboratory, where a rectal tube was inserted and made a gas-tight seal with their derrieres. The tube was connected to a gas-impermeable bag and, after farting, its contents were subsequently evaluated by chromatog- raphy. It gets better. The flatus collected in these bags was then sniffed and rated by two independent judges on a linear scale where zero was “no odor” and 8 was “very offensive.” Don’t you love gastroenterology? In 2003, Popular Science magazine ranked Levitt’s “flatus odor judge” as the worst job in science. But their contributions were enormous. They found that, com- pared to that of men, the flatus of women had a much greater odor intensity. Now hold your horses. The study also found that men produced a larger volume of gas per toot - roughly half a cup’s worth at a time. And Levitt argued that because flatus’s ability to stimulate the nose is more dependent on volume than on concentration of noxious gas, these differences between the sexes balanced out in real life. It was, in other words, a tie. Still not buying it? Other perceived differences may be because more women have better perfected the slow and steady release of flatus that effectively dampens the sound - which some men, particularly in their teenage years, choose not to exercise. Still, in certain situations, no matter your skills in this regard, we are all helpless. One such situation is air travel. We are all gassy on a plane. Sometimes it’s you. Some- times it’s your neighbor. Before you judge anyone aboard, remember the ideal gas law: PV=nRT. With increasing altitude, air pressure - including intestinal air pressure - falls. Therefore, the volume of your intestinal gas has to expand. The air in your colon is blocked from traveling backward by a small muscular valve connecting it to the small intestine. Therefore the only path flatus can take is forward and outward, where it joins the recirculating cabin air for the remainder of the flight, giving “jet propulsion” a new meaning. But outside of airplanes, we tend to have more power in mitigating the damaging effects of our gas upon friend and foe. If you need a simple last-minute solution: take bismuth subsalicylate over the counter. There is some concern about salicylate toxicity long-term, but for a crit- ical moment - a special date, a work conference, a long flight - 524 mg by mouth four times a day beforehand will do the job. Bismuth subsalicylate - better known as Pep- to-Bismol - binds and neutralizes more than 95 percent of sulfide gases in the gut. Another landmark discovery from the laboratory of Dr. Levitt. You might say there are no winners here - only los- ers. Which is perhaps the most democratizing findings medicine has ever produced, and almost certainly among the few findings in the history of research produced by members of the American Gastroenterological Association that has ever settled a domestic dispute. From “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong,” by Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH, to be published Tuesday by Av- ery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House. Copyright © 2026 by Trisha Pasricha LLC. -TheWashington Post By Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH PHOTO:THEWASHINGTON POST