Science and Health

Australian research found too much TV can kill

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-12 20:01

CANBERRA: An additional hour in front of the television each day increases the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18 percent, the Australian Associated Press reports on Tuesday.

According to an Australian research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, each extra hour increases the overall likelihood of dying from all causes, including cancer by 11 percent.

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"The human body was designed to move, not sit for extended periods of time," the study's lead author David Dunstan said.

"But technological, social, and economic changes mean that people don't move their muscles as much as they used to."

Prof Dunstan, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, said sitting for long periods is bad for blood sugar and fats - even if you're healthy.

The link between television viewing and increased mortality holds true regardless of other risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, high cholesterol and obesity.

The researchers monitored the viewing habits of 8,800 adults over six years before publishing the alarming results.