Researchers in a new study say prolonged TV watching is linked to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. The study found that every additional two hours spent in front of the TV each day raises the diabetes risk by a fifth and heart disease risk by 15%. The work appears in the journal Journal of the American Medical Association.
Lead researcher Professor Frank Hu, of the Harvard School of Public Health said, “The message is simple. Cutting back on TV watching can significantly reduce risk of type-2 diabetes, heart disease and premature mortality.” The authors add that it is not TV viewing per se that is the problem, but that people who spend hours watching programmes are less likely to lead an active lifestyle as a result and, in turn, are more likely to be overweight or obese. As a result similar activities like sitting in front of a computer playing games or surfing the internet, might have a similar effect, and this should be studied they add.
For this study the team examined the findings of eight large studies that included over 175,000 people and looked at the health risks associated with TV viewing. The results showed that more than two hours of TV viewing per day increased risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and more than three hours of daily viewing increased risk of premature death. The researchers estimate that for every additional two hours of TV watched a day there is an increased risk of an extra 38 people in every 100,000 in the US dying from heart and circulatory disease and 176 people in every 100,000 developing diabetes. The researchers found the risk increased by 1.20 times for Type 2 diabetes, 1.15 times for cardiovascular disease and 1.13 times for all-cause mortality.
Dr Iain Frame, of Diabetes UK, said the findings should be a wake-up call about the risk of leading a sedentary lifestyle. He said evidence suggests physical activity can reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes by over 60%. Maureen Talbot, of the British Heart Foundation, added, “I'm sure we've all unintentionally lost evenings slumped on the sofa in front of the TV snacking on crisps and biscuits and drinking sugary drinks or alcohol. But it's important that this doesn't become a regular activity. We should try to be selective in how much time we spend watching the TV, and try to be more physically active instead. We need 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week to keep our hearts healthy, so why not take a walk after work, join a sports team or even just get out for a bit of gardening in the evenings. It's bound to be a lot more rewarding than staring at the box.”
Joel Zonszein, MD, who directs the Clinical Diabetes Center at New York’s Montefiore Medical Center, says the findings from the newly published analysis are no surprise. “The more time people spent in front of the TV, the higher their risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even death. When you see this type of linear response, that is pretty reliable evidence of an association,” he said. But he adds that the study was limited by the fact that the researchers were unable to assess the impact of diet and exercise on risk.
Figures reveal that, people in European countries spend around three-to-four hours a day on average watching TV, while people in the US do so for five hours a day. The researchers are funded by the Danish Heart Foundation, Danish Health Fund, the Oticon Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
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