relatively 6% lower rate of developing coronary heart disease.
Those who watched less than one hour of TV daily had a 16% lower rate.
That’s much less time than Americans are estimated to spend in front of the television. Between 2013 and 2017, people aged 15 and up spent an average of two hours and 46 minutes daily watching TV, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It called watching television “America’s favorite pastime.”
About 659,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Nearly 48% of Black men and women have some form of heart disease. Coronary heart disease is the most common type, responsible for 360,900 deaths in 2019.
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People with coronary heart disease are also twice as likely to have a stroke, according to the study authors.
“Reducing time spent watching TV should be recognized as a key behavioral target for prevention of coronary heart disease, irrespective of genetic susceptibility and traditional risk markers,” Kim shares. “Individuals with high genetic susceptibility to coronary heart disease could have a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease merely by limiting time spent on TV viewing.”
The study did not find that leisure-time computer use had any influence on developing coronary heart disease.
Why is TV the culprit?
The difference may be that TV viewing happens often in the evening after dinner, which is usually the most high-calorie meal of the day, the research team suggests. This could lead to higher levels of glucose and lipids in the blood.
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The team also points out that people tend to snack more while watching TV and to watch for more extended times, whereas they’re less likely to do that while on the computer.
Tracie Barnett is an associate professor in the family medicine department at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She says, “While genetic risk for CHD (coronary heart disease) cannot be neglected, it’s encouraging that these findings suggest that an entirely modifiable risk factor, namely TV watching, is linked to very meaningful reductions in the incidence of CHD.”
Being sedentary affects the heart for several reasons, Barnett adds. Sometimes, it displaces other activities that are healthier, including light activity. People may be less mindful of their food intake while watching TV and more exposed to
