Tulizo
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 13, 2011
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Source: Times.com
Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that too much TV time was associated with increases in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart problems and the risk of death from any cause.
While it's not surprising that being a couch potato isn't exactly good for your health, Hu's team quantified for the first time how much the passive act of TV watching contributed to conditions like diabetes and heart disease, as well as to premature death. For every two hours of TV watching, the researchers found, the risk of type 2 diabetes increased by 20% over 8.5 years of follow-up, the risk of heart disease rose by 15% over a decade, and the odds of dying from any cause increased 13% during a seven year follow-up.
Hu's study, which analyzed data from eight large studies conducted since the 1970s, didn't explicitly say why TV time was associated with poor health, but the potential connections are no mystery. Excessive TV watching is related to decreased physical activity, increased consumption of health foods, and increased caloric intake, says Hu.
That is, every hour you spend on the couch is another hour you're not exercising. And TV watching tends to promote other unhealthy activities like snacking on junk food (the constant commercials for pizza and beer don't help) and eating fewer fresh fruits and veggies. All of these are known risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, conditions that can contribute to early death.
Shauri yenu mnaokesha kwenye luninga.
Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that too much TV time was associated with increases in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart problems and the risk of death from any cause.
While it's not surprising that being a couch potato isn't exactly good for your health, Hu's team quantified for the first time how much the passive act of TV watching contributed to conditions like diabetes and heart disease, as well as to premature death. For every two hours of TV watching, the researchers found, the risk of type 2 diabetes increased by 20% over 8.5 years of follow-up, the risk of heart disease rose by 15% over a decade, and the odds of dying from any cause increased 13% during a seven year follow-up.
Hu's study, which analyzed data from eight large studies conducted since the 1970s, didn't explicitly say why TV time was associated with poor health, but the potential connections are no mystery. Excessive TV watching is related to decreased physical activity, increased consumption of health foods, and increased caloric intake, says Hu.
That is, every hour you spend on the couch is another hour you're not exercising. And TV watching tends to promote other unhealthy activities like snacking on junk food (the constant commercials for pizza and beer don't help) and eating fewer fresh fruits and veggies. All of these are known risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, conditions that can contribute to early death.
Shauri yenu mnaokesha kwenye luninga.
