Adults
who watch TV for three hours or more each day may double their risk of
premature death compared to those who watch less, according to new research
published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Television
viewing is a major sedentary behavior and there is an increasing trend toward
all types of sedentary behaviors,” said Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, M.D., Ph.D.,
M.P.H., the study’s lead author and professor and chair of the Department of
Public Health at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. “Our findings
are consistent with a range of previous studies where time spent watching
television was linked to mortality.”
Researchers
assessed 13,284 young and healthy Spanish university graduates (average age 37,
60 percent women) to determine the association between three types of sedentary
behaviors and risk of death from all causes: television viewing time, computer
time and driving time. The participants were followed for a median 8.2 years.
Researchers reported 97 deaths, with 19 deaths from cardiovascular causes, 46
from cancer and 32 from other causes.
The
risk of death was twofold higher for participants who reported watching three
or more hours of TV a day compared to those watching one or less hours. This
twofold higher risk was also apparent after accounting for a wide array of
other variables related to a higher risk of death.
Researchers
found no significant association between the time spent using a computer or
driving and higher risk of premature death from all causes. Researchers said
further studies are needed to confirm what effects may exist between computer
use and driving on death rates, and to determine the biological mechanisms
explaining these associations.
“As
the population ages, sedentary behaviors will become more prevalent, especially
watching television, and this poses an additional burden on the increased
health problems related to aging,” Martinez-Gonzalez said. “Our findings
suggest adults may consider increasing their physical activity, avoid long
sedentary periods, and reduce television watching to no longer than one to two
hours each day.”
The study cited previous research that suggests that half
of U.S. adults are leading sedentary lives.
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