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Just two hours of telly a day can kill you, say doctors
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:44 AM on 15th June 2011
Sedentary: Watching TV increases the risk of diabetes
Watching more than two hours of TV a day could lead to an early death, claim researchers.
They found that for every two hours of daily viewing, there was a 20 per cent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a 15 per cent higher risk of fatal or non-fatal heart disease and a 13 per cent higher risk of dying from any cause.
Lack of exercise and eating junk foods while watching TV are behind the increased risks, say researchers Dr Anders Grontved of the University of Southern Denmark and Dr Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Their findings, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, come from an analysis of eight studies involving around 235,000 people.
Based on incidence rates in the U.S., the researchers estimated that, for every two hours of daily TV viewing, 178 extra people per 100,000 risked getting type 2 diabetes and 38 risked suffering from fatal cardiovascular disease, with 104 cases of ‘all-cause mortality’.
Maureen Talbot, of the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘This study adds yet more strength to existing evidence that sedentary activities, such as watching TV, could increase our risk of getting type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease.
‘I’m sure we’ve all 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 TV, and try to be more active.
‘We need 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week to keep our hearts healthy.’
