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Too Much TV Shortens Your Life

Posted 1/13/2010 9:30 am by Ron Hogan

poltergeist-poster-television.jpgFrom the Duh Files:  researchers from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, lead by Dr. David Dunstan, have determined that watching too much TV is bad for your health.  Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen; you’ve proven something that doctors have been saying since television was invented.  Apparently, people who watch over four hours of television are 80 percent more likely to die of a heart attack or other heart-related problem.

Regardless of race, income level, education, physical activity level, or any other factor aside from television watching, those that watch a lot of boob tube are 46 percent more likely to die (from anything) than people who watch two hours or less of television per day.  In fact, of the 8800 adults studied for this research, 284 of them died during the study.  That works out to every hour spent in front of the TV increasing your risk of death by 11 percent, so the next time you’re stuck watching a bad movie and you’d rather die than finish it, well.. you’re making that happen.

Apparently, sitting in front of the TV and snacking is the perfect combination of eating too much, eating too unhealthily, and not getting enough physical activity.  Even if you exercise, those four hours of TV are still going to kill you faster because lack of activity disrupts your metabolism.   I guess those of us with sedentary office jobs may as well make our our wills early.

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