Four Hours of Daily TV Doubles Heart Risk

Unless the TV shows you're watching are sufficiently thrilling to significantly raise your heart rate, watching TV can kill you, slowly. But then, so can sitting at computer, or sitting and reading Flaubert, or even SportsGeezer, or OK, just sitting. HealthDay reports on research conducted at University College in London that analyzed data about leisure time activities from 4,512 adults. The researchers found that, compared with those who spent less than two hours a day in front of a screen, those who spent four or more hours watching TV or playing or working on the computer had a 48 percent increased risk for dying from any cause and a 125 percent increased risk for having a heart attack, stroke or heart failure. The risk calculations remained even after taking into account such factors as smoking, high blood pressure, weight, social class and exercise. Yes, exercise. The researchers found that "participation in exercise did not seem to mitigate against the harms associated with excessive screen times."

Read more in HealthDay.