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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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Indulge In Screen-Based Entertainment Could Lead to Heart Disease! Screen-based entertainments refer to television (TV) or DVD watching, leisure time computer use and playing video games. These are the most favorite forms of entertainment for modern people. But, how many of us are aware that how we spend our free time away from work has a huge impact on our overall health. In a paper that was published on January 10, 2011 in the ‘Journal of the American College of Cardiology’, researchers from the University College London claimed that people who spend more than 2 hours a day watching TV or facing an electronic screen have their risk of getting heart disease doubled and they are facing higher risk of dying. Data from 4,512 adults, who participated in the Scottish Health Survey of households, was analyzed. The information on screen time was taken from self-reported data about TV or DVD watching, leisure time computer use and playing video games. When comparing people who reported spending less than 2 hours a day in front of screen-based entertainment with those who spent 4 or more hours per day, the latter had a 48 percent higher risk of death from any cause. For those who spent just 2 or more hours per day in front of screen after work, their risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack was raised by 125 percent.
The associations found in the study were independent of traditional such risk factors as smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure), BMI (body mass index), social class, and exercise. However, associations between the levels of inflammation and cholesterol in sedentary people were found. The researchers accused C-reactive protein (CRP), body mass index, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (or the so-called good cholesterol) to be responsible for the one-fourth of the association between screen time and cardiovascular events. CRP is an indicator of low-grade inflammation. It was found to be about twice as high in people who spent more than 4 hours of free time daily in front of a electronic screen compared to people who spent less than 2 hours a day. In another study appeared in the June 15, 2011 edition of the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that heavy TV watching was associated with an increased risk for Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and even premature death. After conducting a systematic analysis of every study that was published between 1970 and 2011 linking TV viewing and an increased risk for Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death, the researchers concluded that more than 2 hours of TV watching everyday increased the risk for Type-2 diabetes and heart disease, while more than 3 hours of daily TV viewing raised the risk for premature death. Furthermore, they also pointed out that every additional 2 hours of TV a day increased the risk for Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and premature death by 20 percent, 15 percent and 13 percent respectively. Based on the findings, the researchers estimated that every 100,000 people in the United States, every 2-hour increment in TV viewing per day could be linked to 176 new cases of Type-2 diabetes, 38 new cases of fatal heart disease and 104 new cases of death from any reason per year. Apparently, the increased risk is partly due to the higher risk for obesity. The risk of Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and premature mortality can significantly be reduced by cutting down the time of watching TV, according to the researchers. However, many working people have learnt to go back home, sit down in front of the TV and start watching for hours. It is so convenient and easy to do, and this has become a habit! While it might not be easy, people should start giving due consideration to changing of such die-hard habit. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviors, especially TV watching seem to be a viable option for people who want to prevent Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and premature death.
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