Can You Die From Watching Too Much TV???

These Researchers Say 'Yes, Indeed'

I've heard of going blind from sitting too close to the TV, but actually cutting my life span short???

According to our friends from 'Down Under', it's certainly a possibility.  One that appears to increase your risk of an early demise due to heart disease by 18%, for every hour spent watching TV per day.

Their research contends that too much sitting is clearly linked to death from disease.

So, I guess you can sit yourself to death?

In reality, their findings implicate that watching television is the behavior that occupies activity of four hours viewing a day.  And most people are simply inactive when watching TV, thus the problem.

As you might guess, research has shown that moving the muscles frequently throughout the day is one of the most effective ways of managing weight and protecting against disease.  We take for granted all of the incidental activity throughout the day that involves movement, whether it's household chores, or working on patients.

A hidden culprit is the level of blood sugar in circulation while people sit.  Even in normal weight people it can be unhealthy.

Researchers studied over 8000 people over 6 years, with 284 dying.  Of those that died, 87 did so of cardiac related problems.  The participants were grouped into three TV-watching categories: those who watched less than two hours a day; those who watched two to four hours a day; and those who watched more than four hours a day.

The researchers found that every hour of daily TV watching increased the risk of dying from any cause by 11 percent. For cardiovascular diseases the increased risk was 18 percent, and for cancer it was 9 percent. Compared with those who watched less than two hours per day, those who watched TV for more than four hours each day had an 80 percent increased risk of dying early from cardiovascular disease and a 46 percent increased risk of dying from any cause.

Are you awake yet???

The association between TV watching and death remained even when the researchers took into account risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, unhealthy diet, excessive weight and exercise.

Even though this was an Australian study, it applies to the US due to our similar lifestyles and TV viewing habits.

While more people are taking part in structured exercise regimens now than ever before, more people are also taking part in sedentary jobs and TV and computer use as well. 

Thus, researchers and doctors alike continue to advocate movement.