Posted on 01/11/2010 6:15:22 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Lounging in front of the tube not only eats up hours in your day, it may also shorten your life, according to a new study.
The study, which looked at the connection between watching TV and death for 8,800 Australian adults, found that each hour of TV-viewing was associated with an 11 percent increased risk of death from any cause, and an 18 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. These findings held true even after the researchers took into account other factors that could raise the risk of dying, such as age, gender, waist circumference and exercise habits.
While the study included only Australians, the findings likely apply to Americans, who spend even more time watching TV, the researchers said. The results could also apply to any sedentary activity - yes including sitting in front of a computer all day - not just TV-watching. And skinny people could be victims as well, the researchers say.
The researchers suggest this link between TV-time and early death could be partly due to the fact that sitting in front of the tube may take away from time a person might otherwise spend moving about, engaging in light activity, which has been shown to reduce the risk of developing certain biological indicators of cardiovascular disease. ..
The results also showed that those who watched TV for four hours a day or more had a 46 percent increased risk of death from any cause and an 80 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, compared with those who watched TV less than two hours a day. This connection was found to be independent of other risk factors for death and cardiovascular disease, including smoking, high cholesterol, poor diet, high blood pressure and a large waistline.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
What about time spent in front of a computer?
Or, it could be that people who are already less fit and don’t feel well enough to engage in other activities spend more time watching tv... cause—effect...not always easy to discern.
may have
Always love the “maybe” and “may have” and “possible” in “science” articles. So unscientific.
The result of most studies: More study needed.
The result of most studies: More study needed.
Does Nascar sundays count ?
As long as you’re typing, you’re exercising.
The article suggests that the results could apply to lengthy computer use as well.
My thought exactly. Tomorrow may be my day. Lol!
I soitanly hope not!
I could see where msnbc viewers could be most at risk.
I think reading news on the net is very stimulating and causes one to use his brain to understand what is put out by the lame alphabets and then the truth. Having sat behind a desk in the corporate structure for many years I rarely felt as mentally stimulated as I do now. Perhaps the study refers to the potato who watches porn
Does getting up from the computer and getting a bowl of ice cream count as exercise too?
Interesting, although the rate of death from heart disease has plummeted in the US while TV viewing has probably increased.
Couch potatoes may die quicker, but they have better spuds!
Absolutely. And make sure ice cream contains healthy nuts.
You wish.
Are ya sitting down? I got terrible news for ya.
YOU’RE GONNA DIE!! someday.
Must be all the starch. ; )
That’s right. Are they sick because they are couch potatoes or are they couch potatoes because they are sick?
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