Watching Television Increases Diabetes Risk

We have always been warned that TV is not good for our health. Time spent watching TV has been associated with many health problems such as depression, obesity and lifespan shortening. A new study has showed that watching TV can also increase the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes. The study was published in the journal Diabetologia.

The findings prove that for every extra hour people spend watching TV the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 3.4%. This did not come as good news especially when the American society has to deal with obesity. People are more and more sedentary and this leads to high diabetes risk. Now people have another factor to worry about when it comes to diabetes.

Lead author of the study, Andrea Kriska of the University of Pittsburgh in the US, explained that the results of the study should send a warning to those concerned with reducing weight and increasing physical activity. Sitting in front of the TV is also a source of inactivity which can generate health problems such as diabetes.

This study comes right after another research which suggested that the metabolism is negatively influenced by time spent sitting motionlessly. Although the results of the study could not be proved with cause and effect, the increased rate of diabetes risk generated by watching TV occurred irrespective of the fact that the participants in the study either took diabetes drugs, ate healthy or exercised. In addition, the findings also suggested that although some of the participants tried to prevent diabetes through adopting a healthy lifestyle, they did not reduced the time that they sent watching TV.

For their study the investigators used data from DPP (the Diabetes Prevention Programme), a study supported by a branch of the US National Institutes of Health. The research was conducted on 3,234 overweight adults (1996-1999) who were at least 25 years old. The aim of the study was to prevent type 2 diabetes in individuals more exposed to it by using a metformin drug or by trying to improve their lifestyle.

Lifestyle intervention increased the participants’ physical activity, who reported less time spent sitting. A reduction in the time spent watching TV was also reported. Kriska said that the results are important because they prove that the decrease in sitting was possible without especially designed programmes.

Image Source: The Legendary Collegian

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Anne-Marie Jackson

Anna grew up on a steady diet of 20th century literature, science-fiction movies and Viking lore. Unsurprisingly she turned into a technology geek with an inclination for history & fantasy.