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!
