A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has shown that watching TV for two or more hours per day is associated with a greater risk of developing heart and blood vessel disease.
The study included nearly 350,000 participants from the UK Biobank. Participants self-reported how much time they spent watching TV per day. The participants were then divided into two groups: those who watched TV for an hour or less per day and those who watched TV for two or more hours per day. Participants were then followed-up with for a median of 13.8 years, during which they were monitored for the development of heart disease related to the blood vessels (atherosclerotic heart disease). Participants were also tested for genetic risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which is linked to the development of heart disease. The goal of the study was to examine the relationship between TV watching, genetic risk of type 2 diabetes, and the risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease.
The results showed that watching TV for two or more hours per day was associated with a 12% higher risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease compared to watching TV for an hour or less per day. Having a higher genetic risk of developing type 2 diabetes did not affect the risk of developing heart disease as long as participants watched an hour or less of TV per day. Overall, nearly 80% of participants reported that they watched two or more hours of TV per day.
The authors stated that this study highlights how lifestyle choices can improve health, especially when it comes to heart disease. Many studies have shown that time spent sitting is related to negative health outcomes, and this study adds to the body of evidence suggesting that sedentary time is bad for the heart.
Sources: Journal of the American Heart Association, Science Daily
