For most people, it falls into the realm of common sense that sitting in front of the television for hours a day while eating that bag of potato chips is not necessarily beneficial to your health.
However, in a new analysis published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, every additional two hours people spend indulging their inner couch potato increases their risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 20% and their risk of heart disease increases by 15%.
Even if you exercise regularly, it might not be enough to counteract all of that time spent in front of the TV.
“Intermittent exercise doesn’t compensate for the time you sit,” says Harmony R. Reynolds, MD, associate director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at NYU Langone Medical Center told Health.com.
The study also found that every additional three hours the participants spent in front of the TV increased their risk of dying from any cause during the respective studies by 13%.
Frank Hu, M.D., a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said that when the findings were put together, all of the outcomes were remarkably similar across different populations.
It isn’t just the sedentary act of watching television that causes numerous health problems. When people sit down to watch TV for extended periods of time, their inactivity is usually coupled with snacking, and viewing commercials for unhealthy foods.
Some studies say that prolonged sitting may cause metabolism changes that add to harmful cholesterol levels and obesity.
Hours that your children spend glued to the TV or their video games, also increases the likelihood of childhood obesity.
The next time that marathon of Law and Order tempts you to stay put on your couch, beware of the health risks you are putting on your body.
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