PARENTS who are less concerned about the number of hours their children and wards spent watching TV programmes and movies should note this, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) ,published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has revealed that prolonged TV viewing is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death.
According to a senior research author and Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at HSPH, Frank Hu, the message is simple, "cutting back on TV watching can significantly reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and premature mortality,"
"We should not only promote increasing physical activity levels but also reduce sedentary behaviours, especially prolonged TV watching," he added.
Hu and the first author of the study Anders Grontved, a doctoral student and visiting researcher in the HSPH Department of Nutrition, conducted a meta-analysis, a systematic assessment of all published studies from 1970 to 2011 that linked TV viewing with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death.
Eight large prospective cohort studies from the United States, Europe, and Australia met the researchers" criteria and were included in the meta-analysis.
The results showed that more than two hours of TV viewing per day increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and more than three hours of daily viewing increased risk of premature death.
"Sedentary lifestyle, especially prolonged TV watching, is clearly an important and modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease," Grøntved added.
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