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Would Long Hours Of TV Viewing Cause Heart Disease? Research has linked sedentary behavior to incident cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular death. But different sedentary behaviors might have different effects. Several studies had found that the association between health and TV viewing time was stronger than other kinds of sedentary behaviors. For instance, a study that was published January 18, 2011 in ‘Journal of the American College of Cardiology’ argued that spending too much leisure time in front of a TV or computer screen seemed to raise the risk for heart disease and premature death from any cause, regardless of how much exercise one gets. Nevertheless, none of the previous studies was conducted in Asian settings and there were conflicting results for the association between TV viewing time and subclinical atherosclerosis. Subclinical atherosclerosis is a term used to describe the early stages of atherosclerosis that can occur throughout the body. Tests measuring subclinical atherosclerosis can determine if one is at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. So researchers from The National University of Singapore (NUS) carried out a study to determine the link between TV viewing time and body composition and the link between TV viewing time and subclinical atherosclerosis. They also sought to find out whether these associations were independent of measures of physical activity and if these links were mediated through body fatness and conventional cardiovascular risk factors. A total of 398 Chinese participants (192 men and 206 women) aged 50 and above were involved in the study. All these participants were free from any known cardiovascular disease and underwent interview, health screening, computed tomography scans of coronary arteries and abdomen. Their daily TV habit ranged from 45 minutes to more than 4 hours. The findings, which were published in the July 2015 edition of online journal ‘PLoS One’, suggested that TV viewing time was significantly correlated with higher body fat mass index, percent body fat, subcutaneous and visceral fat in men but weaker and not statistically significant in women. TV viewing time was also associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in men but no significant association was observed in women. It was also found that light to moderate physical activity did not help lower the the cardiovascular risk of watching TV. Physical activity includes going from one place to another like by walking or cycling; household tasks that require exertion; type of occupation; and leisure activities that include workouts or sports.
According to researchers, other sedentary activities like playing computer games or having a desk-bound job do not seem to affect health the same way watching television does. And their data did not actually suggest that it was about the sitting down. They suspected that the answer may lie in what people do while watching TV. For instance, people may be snacking while viewing TV. But this does not mean that people, especially men, should quit watching TV. They just need to watch their diet and exercise to avoid obesity. While physical activity was not shown to significantly help cardiovascular health, physical activity can still benefit other major health conditions. A 2013 study, also conducted by NUS researchers, found that the insulin resistance of light TV viewers who did not exercise was comparable to that of those with a heavier TV habit but spending an hour or more each week doing vigorous exercise like running. Insulin resistance points to an early stage in the development of diabetes. The researchers, therefore, warned that people should not stop exercising simply based on this study's results. Participants in the study were engaged only in light and moderate exercise. As such, it could be that they needed to do high-intensity exercise to experience a positive impact. Vigorous exercise is generally safe, though those with sedentary lifestyles should start with moderate exercise. For the first few months, people should consistently do moderate-intensity exercises for at least 150 minutes a week. This will help establish the appropriate form and muscle strength to reduce their risk of musculoskeletal injury. For people with a family history of heart disease, or have hypertension, diabetes, or any other medical conditions should seek agreement from their doctors before engaging vigorous exercise.
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