Scientists warn that spending a certain amount of time watching TV can significantly increase the risk of life-threatening diseases. A new study reveals that watching TV for two or more hours a day can increase your chances of having a heart attack, stroke and other blood vessel diseases by up to 12%, the Mirror reports. 

This link has been found among people with varying degrees of risk for type 2 diabetes. The study of more than 340,000 Britons found that a shocking 79% of people watch two or more hours of TV every day, putting them at risk of these related diseases.

As part of the study, a team investigated the link between TV viewing, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This disease is caused by plaque buildup in arterial walls and refers to conditions that include heart disease, stroke and peripheral arterial disease.

Yongwon Kim, lead author of the study and professor at the School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, explains:

"Type 2 diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle, including prolonged sitting, are major risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. TV viewing, which accounts for more than half of daily sedentary behaviour, is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis." 

"Our study provides new insight into the role of limiting TV viewing time in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in everyone, and especially in people with a high genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes," Kim said.

This study, which is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analysed data from a large biomedical database involving 346,916 UK adults. During the 14-year follow-up period, 21,265 people in the study developed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Their risk of type 2 diabetes was measured using a polygenic risk score, and their television viewing habits were assessed based on the results of the questionnaire. This questionnaire found that 21% of participants watched one hour or less of television per day, while more than 79% reported two or more hours per day spent watching television.

Spending two or more hours a day in front of the TV was associated with a 12% higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease compared with watching TV for one hour or less a day, independent of genetic risk for type 2 diabetes.

The 10-year probability of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was lower (2.13%) in participants with a high genetic risk of type 2 diabetes in combination with watching one hour or less of television daily. This was compared to people with a low genetic risk of type 2 diabetes and who reported two or more hours of daily TV viewing (2.46%).

Study first author Mengyao Wang claims:

"We found that people with a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes may exhibit a lower chance of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease if they limit TV viewing to one hour or less each day. This suggests that less television viewing may serve as a key behavioral goal for preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease associated with the genetics of type 2 diabetes."

"Future strategies and actions to prevent disease and improve health by reducing time spent in front of the TV and promoting other healthy lifestyle changes should target broad populations, including those at high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes," Wang emphasized. 

Damon L. Swift, chair of the American Heart Association's Physical Activity Committee, added:

"This study shows that reducing TV viewing can benefit people at high risk of type 2 diabetes as well as those at low risk. It also highlights how lifestyle choices can improve health. These findings add to the evidence that time spent seated may represent a potential intervention tool to improve the health of people in general and those at high risk of type 2 diabetes in particular. This is particularly important as people with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those without diabetes." | BGNES