Binge watchers beware
Maybe it's time to chill on the Netflix.
Bad news binge buddies, new survey data may make you want to rethink that next marathon session of Game of Thrones.
The study, from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that every extra hour in front of the TV increased your risk of death linked to inflammation by 12%.
Inflammatory-related diseases include ailments such as Alzheimer's and diabetes as well as respiratory, cognitive and kidney diseases.
Lead author and Senior Research Officer in the Institute’s Physical Activity Laboratory, Dr Megan Grace, said that because of on-demand TV, many of us are spending extended stints in front of the television.
"I'll just watch TV in shorter blocks", I hear you say ... well, while parsing your viewing over the day may be a little better, it's not a real solution.
"There is evidence to suggest that longer blocks of sitting are more hazardous than shorter blocks, if overall sitting time is the same. However, large volumes of sitting still appear to be detrimental for health, regardless of how it is accumulated," Dr Grace told finder.com.au
Dr Grace suggested that people should look to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting every day and even look to have an "active break" while watching TV.
"TV viewing is a very common behaviour, and it is entirely under the control of the individual, unlike the workplace where people may not have complete control of their sitting time. TV viewing is therefore a behaviour that could be easily targeted for lifestyle change, and small changes may lead to large health benefits over the long term," she said.
Coincidently, the study came out during Dementia Awareness Month, with today being World Alzheimer's Day.
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