Prolonged
TV Watching Increases Obesity and Diabetes Risk
posted 04/30/03
Each two hours a day increment of TV watching was linked with a 23 per cent
increase in obesity, and 14 per cent increase in diabetes.
Of all sedentary activities, TV watching for many hours a week is especially associated with health risks.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health now bring a new report from the long-running Nurses' Health Study. The current study began in 1992 and looks at the link between various sedentary behaviors, including watching TV, and obesity and type 2 diabetes. It's interesting because most advice on fitness concentrates on increasing physical activity, rather than reducing inactivity.
They found that each two hours a day increment of TV watching was linked with a 23 per cent increase in obesity, and 14 per cent increase in diabetes. By contrast, sitting at work, or driving, were linked with a five per cent increase in obesity and a seven per cent increase in diabetes.
However, standing or walking around, again for an extra two hours a day, were both linked to a nine per cent reduction in obesity and a 12 per cent reduction in diabetes. Each hour a day of brisk walking reduced obesity by 24 per cent and diabetes by 34 per cent.
There are three reasons
why prolonged TV watching is so bad for you. First, each hour in front of the TV
is an hour less being physically active. Second, people tend to eat more while
they're watching TV. And finally, people who spend time watching TV seem to have
unhealthy diets - perhaps succumbing to ads and cues for snacks and foods that
are high in fat, sugar and salt.
Of course, no-one's saying you should give up your favorite programs for the
sake of your health! But previous research has suggested that an adult male in
the US watches 29 hours a week of TV, and a female 34 hours - that's more than a
full day a week spent in viewing. Maybe some of this time would be better spent
in a more varied routine?
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com: Journal of the American Medical Association 9th April 2003.
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