Previously, we’ve discussed the role of TV in weight gain, but a new study has shown that watching too much TV may mean less time living.
According to the study published online today in an American Heart Association journal called Circulation, each hour that study participants spent in front of the TV increased their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease by a whopping 18%! The overall premature death risk from any cause increased by 11% for each hour spent watching TV per day. The risk of cancer increased by 9% for each hour watching TV.
The study found that individuals who watched four or more hours of TV each day were 80% more likely to die from heart disease compared to people who watched less than two hours each day. Plus, the same group who watched four or more hours of TV were 46% more likely to die of any other cause. The risk from TV watching remained even after researchers controlled for other risk factors like excessive waist circumference, smoking habits, diet, blood pressure, exercise habits and cholesterol.
All of the nearly 9,000 adults in the six-year study had no history of heart disease. By the time the study ended, 284 people had died.
No, the TV doesn’t send out some horrid heart-killing rays. The reason people who watch too much TV die sooner is simply physical inactivity. We sit too still while watching TV, and that may disrupt our metabolism.
“Even if someone has a healthy body weight, sitting for long periods of time still has an unhealthy influence on their blood sugar and blood fats,” said David Dunstan, Ph.D., the study’s lead author.
While the study was conducted in Australia, Dunstan believes the results apply to Americans as well. Average TV watching in America is up to eight hours, compared with an average of only three hours in Australia and the UK.
Will this study influence your TV watching habits?
(Image via stock.xchng)
Post from: Blisstree