Mom was right: shut off that TV!
Posted on January 13, 2010A new study released Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association confirms what Mom always told you – too much TV watching is bad for you.
The study looked at health data among 8,800 men and women over age 25 in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study. Researchers separated the participants into three groups: those who regularly watched less than two hours a day, those who watched two to four hours a day and those who regularly watched more than four hours of television each day.
People with a history of cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study.
People who watched more than four hours a day showed an 80 percent greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 46 percent higher risk of all causes of death, compared with those who watched less than two hours a day. Researchers controlled for smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an unhealthy diet and leisure-time exercise.
Researchers found a strong connection between TV hours and risk of death from cardiovascular disease; that link was found not just among the overweight and obese but among people who had a healthy weight and exercised.
It’s probably pretty similar for playing video games and surfing the web. Being a couch potato is a dangerous occupation!
People with a history of cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study.
People who watched more than four hours a day showed an 80 percent greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 46 percent higher risk of all causes of death, compared with those who watched less than two hours a day. Researchers controlled for smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an unhealthy diet and leisure-time exercise.
Researchers found a strong connection between TV hours and risk of death from cardiovascular disease; that link was found not just among the overweight and obese but among people who had a healthy weight and exercised.
It’s probably pretty similar for playing video games and surfing the web. Being a couch potato is a dangerous occupation!