If you watch more than four hours of TV a day, be warned it could lead to heart attacks regardless of how much exercise you do, UK researchers have found.
Watching TV or playing video games for extended periods of time can increase your chances of heart disease and premature death research, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.
The research, conducted by the University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, purports to be the first to examine the association between screen time and heart attacks.
Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis, who was involved in the research, said as little as two hours of screen time can have an effect.
“Our analysis suggests that two or more hours of screen time each day may place someone at greater risk for a cardiac event,” he said.
The study also found that those who spend more than four hours a day in front of the TV increased their risk by about 125 percent.
She said the reason for the increased risk could be to do with the effect prolonged sitting has on cholesterol and inflammation.
The results, which are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that factors such as smoking, socioeconomic class and even exercise were not relevant.
“These risks may not be mitigated by exercise, a finding that underscores the urgent need for public health recommendations,” Dr Stamatakis said.
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