Diabetes, obesity due to TV viewing

A recent research found that sedentary behaviour, especially watching television, was associated with significantly elevated risk of obesity and type II diabetes . Researchers form the Harvard School of Public Health did a study to examine the relationship between various sedentary behaviours, especially prolonged television watching, and risk of obesity and type II diabetes in women. The study was conducted from 1992 to 1998 among women from 11 American states. The research study group for obesity included 50,277 women who had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 30 and were free from any cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer. The diabetes analysis included 68,497 women who were free from diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. Over 6 years, 3,757 women had become obese and 1,515 new cases of type II diabetes were documented in the respective study groups. Time spent watching TV was found to be positively associated with the risk of obesity and type II diabetes. The researchers found that for every two hours spent daily watching TV there was a 23 per cent increase in the risk of obesity and a 14 per cent increase for diabetes. Also, two hours per day increment in sitting at work was associated with a 5% increase in obesity and a 7% increase in diabetes. In contrast, standing or walking around at home two hours per day was associated with a 9% reduction in obesity and a 12% reduction in diabetes. One hour of brisk walking per day was associated with a 24% reduction in obesity and a 34% reduction in diabetes.

The study emphasises the importance of reducing sedentary behaviour for preventing obesity and diabetes. The researchers suggested that a relatively active lifestyle is essential for maintaining good health. They recommend less than 10 hours of television viewing in a week and more than 30 minutes of brisk walking every day.

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