WATCH TV and DIE EARLY

TV time tied to diabetes, death

NEW YORK
Thursday, June 16, 2011

PEOPLE who spend more hours in front of the television are at greater risk of dying, or developing diabetes and heart disease, with even two hours of television a day having a marked effect, according to a US study.!

Every day, US residents spend an average of 5 hours watching television, while Australians and some Europeans log 3.5 to 4 hours a day, said researchers led by Frank Hu, at the Harvard School of Public Health.!

"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," Hu said.!

"The combination of a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet and obesity creates a 'perfect breeding ground' for type 2 diabetes and heart disease."!

Many studies have found a strong link to obesity. A 2007 report found that more TV time was associated with higher blood pressure in obese children.!

Another study that same year found that overweight children who watch food advertisements tend to double their food intake.!

For the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Hu and his team reviewed eight studies examining the link between TV time and diseases, that in total followed more than 200,000 people, for an average of 7 to 10 years.!

Hu and his colleagues found that for every two hours of daily television that people watched, their risk of diabetes increased by 20 per cent. Reuters!