Unhealthy diet, higher calorie intake… watching TV while sitting could be particularly harmful to your health, according to a study

Les personnes qui regardent la télévision de manière prolongée ont souvent des habitudes alimentaires malsaines, ce qui peut nuire à leur santé, souligne l'étude. Anitta – Envolver/Shutterstock

After a long day at work, many people want to relax by watching their favorite program. And yet, you should stop for your health. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), replacing one hour of daily television with light physical activity at home would increase the chances of reaching age 70 or older by 8%. in good physical and mental health.

The observation is clear and far from surprising. Sitting for hours in front of a television screen has negative effects on our health. If the reports follow one another, this latest study demonstrates that the curve can be reversed if physical activity is favored instead of an hour spent in front of the small screen: &amp ;quot;Each 2 hours per day increase spent sitting and watching television was associated with a 12% reduction in the odds of healthy aging.", the researchers said.

The twenty-year study was carried out with more than 45,000 women from the "Nurses' Health", aged at least 50 years old and not suffering from any chronic illness at the start of the study in 1992. The lifestyle habits of these participants were monitored, including including time spent sitting at work and at home, time spent watching television, and hours spent standing or walking at home. This data was then compared to information about their health and aging over time.

Among the negative consequences, the study warns of the sitting position which can affect the skeletal muscles but also chronic diseases "by reducing sensitivity to insulin and by disrupting the postprandial metabolism of glucose and lipids". Sitting while watching television "may negatively impact peripheral and central vascular markers, such as cerebral blood flow."

If watching TV is the enemy of good health, sport, even gentle sport, can prove to be an ally in remedying it. According to researchers, engaging in light physical activity for an hour can increase your chances of reaching age 70 in good physical and mental health by 8%. For the most trained, opting for an intensive one-hour sports session can significantly tip the scales in your favor, with a 28% chance of maintaining a good physique.

For the less sporty, your bed will be your best partner since, according to researchers, sleeping is preferable to watching TV: "The replacement TV viewing through moderate-to-vigorous or even light physical activity or sleep (among participants who slept 7 hours per day) was associated with improved healthy aging .", they clarified.

Bad habits in front of the TV

If experts consider watching television to be a particularly unhealthy activity, this is due not only to the lack of movement, but also to the other harmful habits that accompany it. This could be explained by the fact that watching television is often associated with an unhealthy diet and higher calorie intake: "Participants who spent more time in front of the television were older, less educated, more likely to smoke or drink alcohol, more likely to have hypertension and high cholesterol, and more likely to have higher BMI and calorie intake and poorer diet quality, compared to those who spent less time watching television.", the study noted. "In addition, studies have shown that people who spend more time watching television tend to adopt unhealthy eating habits and increase total energy intake, which is directly linked to the risk of disease."

A finding that is all the more worrying given that 84% of elderly people in the United States spend 2 hours or more per day sitting down watching television. 25.7% even say they sit for more than 8 hours a day and 44.6% are inactive, the study reported.