Time Spent in Front of the TV Could Lead to Diabetes
According to new research, spending too much time in front of the TV could lead to diabetes and heart disease. On average, Americans spend around 5 hours watching TV while Europeans and Australians spend 4 hours. These statistics have been compiled by Frank Hu and his researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health.
As per Hu, “The message is simple. Cutting back on TV watching is an important way to reduce sedentary behaviors and decrease risk of diabetes and heart disease.” He went onto add that those who spend time watching TV are known to exercise less and have a higher propensity to eat food that is classified as being “unhealthy”.
It is the combination of obesity, lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. Previous studies, most notably one in 2007, have found that TV time is linked to higher blood pressure in children who are obese. For this new study, which was first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Hu and his researchers assessed 8 studies that scrutinized the link between diseases and television time that considered more than 200,000 people, for 7 to 10 years on average.
Hu and his researchers have found out that watching TV for just 2 hours could increase the risk of diabetes by 20 percent, whereas heart disease risk increased by 15 percent. The risk of dying climbed to 13 percent. Hu and his researchers calculated that if a group of 100,000 people reduced watching TV by 2 hours could lead to the prevention of 176 new diabetic cases, 38 cases of death by cardiovascular disease, and 104 premature deaths.
While Hu concedes that watching TV alone cannot lead to an increase in diabetes and heart disease risk, he did state that prolonged TV time led to inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits.
Tags:blood sugar levels, diabetes, diabetes cure, diabetes risk, heart disease