Is too much TV deadly?
A recent study set to be published this week in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal, links television viewing to early death and heart disease. The study shows that participants who watched four or more hours of TV per day were 80 percent more likely to die from heart disease, and 46 percent more likely to die earlier all together.
The study followed 8,800 Australians for more than 6 years, monitoring the amount of TV they took in everyday, among other things. In all, 284 participants died during the study.
The study ruled out a number of other possibilities. Only adults without a prior history of heart disease were studied. Other factors like age, cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking were all accounted for. Furthermore, among those participants who exercised regularly, those who watched more television were still more likely to die earlier.
Experts attribute the study results to the sedentary nature of watching television. Sitting for prolonged periods of time, it appears, is what weakens the heart and other muscles. Some speculate the results could stem from the fact that watching television also lends itself to known harmful activities like unhealthy snacking. The study, however, did attempt to account for junk food and calorie intake.
It would seem the results of the study spells bad news for most Americans: While Australians are said to average three hours of TV watching per day, Americans have been estimated at up to five hours.
[photo: Dark Matters Politics]
Tags: American Heart Association, Circulation, early death, heart disease, television, TV
