Watching Television for Long Hours can Increase Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Watching TV has always been one of the favourite pastimes for most people around the world. But, it seems, that watching television for extended hours can affect the heart majorly. As per a new study, the habit of watching television for a long duration can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.Researchers have compiled data from the UK Biobank to understand if there was a link between screen-based sedentary behaviours like watching TV or using a computer for leisure and an individual's risk of coronary heart disease. [1]
Figure 1. Watching Television for Long Hours can Increase Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, Suggests New Study
Figure 1 shows sedentary living is one of the primary risk factors for coronary heart disease, according to health experts. To put it another way, sitting for long periods of time rather than being physically active increases the risk of heart disease. The researchers looked at data from the UK Biobank to see if there was a link between screen-based sedentary behaviours like watching TV and using a computer for leisure and an individual's risk of coronary heart disease. [2]
“Reducing time spent watching TV should be recognised as a key behavioural target for prevention of coronary heart disease, irrespective of genetic susceptibility and traditional risk markers,” Dr Youngwon Kim, an author of the research, was quoted as saying by The Guardian. [3]It has been published in journal BMC Medicine, where the researchers have said that used data from 373,026 white British people aged 40-69 who were part of the UK Biobank study.
There are several potential reasons that might explain the link between TV viewing and coronary heart disease risk, say the team -- and in particular, why no link was found with computer use. TV viewing tends to occur in the evening following dinner, usually our most calorific meal, leading to higher levels of glucose and lipids, such as cholesterol, in the blood.
People also often snack more when watching TV compared to when surfing the web, for example. Lastly, TV viewing tends to be prolonged, whereas individuals using their computer may be more likely to break up their activity. [4]
References:
- https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/watching-tv-for-long-hours-can-increase-risk-of-heart-disease-new-study-reveals-1953617-2022-05-24
- https://gadgets360.com/science/news/watching-tv-long-hours-increase-risk-coronary-heart-disease-new-study-university-of-cambridge-3004203
- https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/reducing-television-time-can-cut-heart-disease-risk-claims-study-3005107
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220524100600.htm
Cite this article:
Thanusri swetha J (2022), Watching Television for Long Hours can Increase Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, Anatechmaz, pp. 335