Time spent watching television is linked to an increased risk of dying from leading causes of death, such as heart disease, the chronic diseases, the cancers or even influenza, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute conducted a study of 221,000 people, ages 50 to 71, without chronic illnesses at the start of the experiment for nearly 15 years to link time spent watching television and the risk of early mortality.
No more than three hours of TV
Watching television is one of the main sedentary behaviors of our lifestyle which reveals the level of inactivity of the participants.
“We know that television is the most prevalent sedentary leisure-time behavior, and our working hypothesis is that it is an indicator of overall physical inactivity,” says Sarah Keadle, PhD in Health Psychology and Human Science. behavior of the National Cancer Institute of the United States, and co-author of the study.
The findings of this study found that, compared to individuals who watch less than an hour of television per day, those who spend between three and four increase their risk of early death by 15%, compared with 47% for those who watch seven. hours or more daily. The risk begins to climb to three or four hours a day for all the causes examined such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, but also diabetesflu or pneumonia Parkinson’s disease and kidney problems.
“Some of the new associations are surfacing for the very first time. Further investigations will be necessary or to determine if other sitting activities have the same impact, ”concludes Sarah Keadle.
The harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle
To keep fit and maintain health, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends taking 10,000 steps per day. The benefits of physical activity are indeed scientifically proven. Regular sports practice can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by up to 39%, the risk of developing colorectal cancer by 26%, the risk of having a stroke by 25% and the risk of diabetes is 34%. Sedentary lifestyle is now the 4th risk factor for early mortality in the world after high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes.
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