For many people, getting comfortable on the couch, turning on the TV and watching their favorite TV show is unwinding and relaxing.
However, spending too much time in front of the TV can have serious health consequences, according to a recent study.
A team of scientists claim that spending extra hours watching TV can increase the risk of getting diabetes by 3.4%, while those who spend all day in front of the television have 30% risk of developing the disease.
The researchers published the findings of their study in the journal Diabetologia, and was conducted by the Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group.
According to the study’s results, those who spend long hours watching television, or simply sit, without doing anything, are more likely to develop diabetes, as compared to people who sat for a shorter period of time daily, no matter how much the subjects exercised.
Andrea Kriska, one of the lead authors of the study, explained that people who have streaming TVs can watch TV continuously. So instead of spending half an hour watching their favorite TV show people can spend several hours watching an entire season of that TV series.
To come to this conclusion, the researchers studied almost 3000 participants, overweight women and men, between the ages of 25 and older.
The participants were separated into three groups: the first group was told to exercise for at least 150 minutes weekly and make changes in their diet in order to lose the extra pounds.
The second group was given Metformin, which is a diabetes drug, while the third group received a placebo pill.
The scientists found that the total time spent watching TV was approximately 140 minutes per day, while all the participants spent 400 minutes sitting at work.
The first group reduced the time spent in front of the TV by 37 minutes and the second and third group reduced it by 9 minutes.
This is not the first study that links sitting for long hours with health problems.
A previous study conducted in Germany showed that people who spend a lot of time sitting, whether behind the wheel, in front of the computer or the TV, have an increased risk of developing cancer.
A different study made by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, found that sitting for several hours can damage the posture, affects the spine and slows down the metabolism.
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