One hour or less—that’s the TV viewing sweet spot for heart health, according to new research.
Watching more increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other vascular diseases among people with a genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes.
The Dangers of Sedentary Behavior
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study, recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests that a sedentary lifestyle characterized by prolonged sitting—especially watching more than two hours a day of TV—could increase the risk of serious heart and blood vessel diseases.
Researchers followed more than 300,000 UK adults over nearly 14 years and identified more than 21,000 cases of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease—a condition caused by plaque buildup in the arteries. They found that higher TV viewing time was linked to greater disease risk, regardless of a person’s genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes.
Watching TV for two or more hours a day was linked to a 12 percent increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, regardless of a person’s genetic risk for Type 2 diabetes.
Those with medium and high genetic risk did not face an increased risk of heart disease as long as they limited their TV viewing to one hour a day. Among people at high risk, those who watched one hour or less had a slightly lower risk than low-risk people who watch TV for more than two hours every day.
Sedentary behavior increases the risk of plaque buildup inside the arteries by contributing to dysfunction in cells that line blood vessels, inflammation, and insulin resistance—“all of which negatively affect vascular health and may promote plaque formation in the arteries,” Michelle Routhenstein, a cardiology dietitian, a preventive cardiology nutritionist, and the owner of Entirely Nourished, told The Epoch Times.
“Our study provides new insights into the roles of limiting TV viewing time in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases for everyone and especially in people with a high genetic predisposition for Type 2 diabetes,” Youngwon Kim, a professor at The University of Hong Kong and lead author, said in a statement.
Reduce TV Viewing for Heart Health
Mengyao Wang, first author of the study, and Kim said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that limiting TV time should be a key strategy for preventing cardiovascular events—in the general population and especially among those with a high genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes.
“While different types of sedentary behavior, including prolonged TV viewing, have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the existing literature, our findings add an important new dimension,” they said.
The researchers noted that their findings underscore the significant role of how lifestyle may lower heart disease risk, even if one is genetically predisposed to it.
The study included only white British participants, so results may not apply to other groups, the authors noted.
While the researchers used TV viewing time as a proxy for sedentary behavior, there’s more to consider, Dr. Basel Ramlawi, system chief of cardiothoracic surgery and co-director of Lankenau Heart Institute at Main Line Health, told The Epoch Times.
Someone who doesn’t get at least 10 minutes of movement a day is considered sedentary, he said.
“That’s enough time to make a difference, and if someone isn’t doing at least that, they’re at higher risk for heart disease,” Ramlawi said.
Choosing elevators over stairs, driving short distances, or finding everyday movement challenging are all signs of a sedentary lifestyle, he said.
For people who work at a desk all day, Ramlawi recommended building movement into their routine—whether that’s taking a break to walk, using a standing desk, or exercising before or after work.
Many companies now provide on-site gyms or encourage movement breaks as part of their efforts to support employee health, he said.
“Even 30 minutes of movement at some point in the day, whether that’s during lunch, before work, or after goes a long way in cutting down the risks of being sedentary,” Ramlawi said.
