Too much TV may mean earlier death
By Sarah Klein, Health.com
January 11, 2010 4:17 p.m. EST
The real problem appears to be that sitting is the "default position" for TV viewing, the study author said.
Study followed 8,800 adults with no history of heart disease for more than six years
Exercise doesn't necessarily make up for long sessions in front of the tube
Snacking is unlikely to explain the increased risk of death observed in the study
Exercise is important for health, but avoiding prolonged periods of sitting is nearly as important
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"You can be active and also watch high amounts of television," Dunstan says. Television isn't necessarily replacing our exercise time, he explains, but it is replacing everyday, "non-sweaty" movements as basic as standing and walking from room to room. The positive health effects of these seemingly negligible activities are underestimated, he says.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/11/television.tv.death/index.html