Health

TV might shorten life

19/08/2011 Office of Road Safety

0

How long do you spend each day watching TV? New research from the UK has confirmed that watching television for six hours a day can reduce life expectancy.

Watching television is the most common leisure activity among adults and is a major reason we sit down. Dr Robert Grenfell, National Clinical Issues Director for the National Heart Foundation, says adults who watch less than two hours of television a day are less likely to have type 2 diabetes or be obese, and have a lower risk of developing heart disease. The reverse is also true - the more time an adult spends watching television, the higher their risk of health problems.

In this study, low physical activity levels led to a loss of about 1.4 years compared with moderate physical activity levels, and 3.6 years compared with high levels of physical activity, after age 50. Every single hour of television viewed may shorten life by as much as 22 minutes, Dr Grenfell says.

The Heart Foundation recommends 30 minutes of physical activity a day as well as cutting the amount of time you spend sitting in order to reduce the risk of heart disease. Adults who do regular planned exercise, such as going to the gym or running, can still sit for long periods of time every day, Dr Grenfell says.

It s possible for an adult who gets 60 minutes of exercise to still spend 15 hours a day sitting down.  Dr Grenfell says this research suggests regular interruptions from sitting, even as little as standing up, may help to reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Heart Foundation tips on sitting less and being more active are available at: www.heartfoundation.org.au/active-living