Watching TV raises the risk of heart disease

The results of a new study show that one in ten cases of coronary heart disease could be prevented if people reduced their TV viewing to an hour a day or less.

Coronary artery disease occurs when fatty material builds up inside the coronary arteries, causing them to narrow and block the heart's blood supply. Researchers believe that reducing the amount of time spent in front of the TV can reduce the risk of developing the disease, regardless of other risk factors.

AT articleGenetic susceptibility, screen-based sedentary activities and incidence of coronary heart disease / BMC Medicine for the journal BMC Medicine, the results of an analysis of the medical data of 373,026 Britons aged 40 to 69 years who participate in the UK Biobank study are presented. None of the participants in the study group had coronary heart disease or stroke at the start of the studies in 2006. But scientists found records of 9,185 cases of these conditions in participants as of fall 2021.

The data available to scientists suggest that the more a person watches TV, the higher the risk of developing coronary heart disease. This trend holds true for all ages and all levels of genetic risk, and after controlling for other factors such as body mass index, age, gender, bad habits, and physical activity.

Compared to people who watched four or more hours of TV a day, those who watched TV for an hour or less had a 16% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease. Those who watched TV for 2-3 hours a day had a 6% lower risk.

Assuming a direct relationship between TV viewing and an increased risk of coronary heart disease, about 11% of cases of coronary heart disease can be would have been preventable if patients had limited TV viewing time to an hour or less per day – even when considering genetic risks and other factors.

It is noted that earlier there was evidence that reducing the time that a person spends sitting and lying down, helps reduce body fat and prevent weight gain, improves blood pressure and reduces the risk of diabetes. All these changes, in turn, reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

However, no association was found between computer use and an increased risk of heart disease. Scientists believe this is because when watching TV, people tend to stare at the screen for longer periods of time and snack more often.