People who spend more than two hours a day watching television have an increased risk of developing inflammatory diseases.
Long TV shows tend to shorten the lifespan. This is the finding of a large study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, which establishes a link between television binge-watching and the development of deadly inflammatory diseases.
The work involved nearly 9,000 adults. They show that every additional hour spent watching television is associated with a 12% increase in the risk of dying from inflammatory disease – Alzheimer’s, diabetes, asthma and kidney disease. People who spent more than four hours a day watching TV were at very high risk, the authors explain.
Risk doubled
To arrive at this finding, the researchers interviewed the participants between 1999 and 2000, then followed them for 12 years. The subjects were classified into several groups: those who watch television for less than two hours a day, those who watch it between two and four hours, and those who spend more than four hours in front of the screen.
At the end of the follow-up, 909 people died. Among these deaths, 130 were linked to inflammatory diseases, including 21 from pathologies of the respiratory system and 18 from diseases of the nervous system.
The authors observed a 54% increase in the risk of death from inflammatory diseases in the second group (2 to 4 hours). The risk was doubled among those who watched television at least four hours a day, compared to those who spent less than two hours a day in front of the screen.
Multiple factors
The risk factors were crossed. Indeed, the people who spent the most time in front of the television were older, had a lower level of education, had lower incomes and tended to smoke more.
Inflammatory diseases refer to a broad spectrum of disorders and diseases characterized by inflammation. Further work is needed to more accurately assess how these long television shutdowns may influence the development of these diseases. But in any case, this latest study does indeed show the negative impact of “binge-watching”.
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