Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Couch potatoes face health risks for not watching what they eat

SINGAPORE — Couch potatoes may have gotten their fair share of nagging from both loved ones and scientists to get off the sofa and start exercising.

SINGAPORE — Couch potatoes may have gotten their fair share of nagging from both loved ones and scientists to get off the sofa and start exercising.

Now, a new study has thrown up a different theory. The higher risks of heart disease and diabetes associated with excessive time spent watching television programmes is not so much due to a sedentary lifestyle, but could be down to unhealthy eating habits, said Associate Professor Rob Van Dam, the study’s senior author.

Conducted by the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, the study looked at the lifestyles of 3,305 Singaporeans across a broad range of ages and ethnic groups between 2004 and 2007. Although extensive literature exists regarding the links between watching television and health in the West, researchers said this is the first large-scale study — involving more than 1,000 persons — in Asia.

This comes as the prevalence of diabetes is rising globally with more than half of the cases coming from the Asian continent.

The results of the study, which were published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity in May, could help to shape health promotion efforts, especially with an emphasis on physical activities over sedentary ones, the researchers added.

The study examined the relationship between the number of hours of television watched daily and various biomarkers relating to diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack and diabetes. For example, those who watched at least three hours of television a day were about 17 per cent more resistant to insulin — indicating a higher risk of diabetes — than those who watched TV for a shorter duration.

The underlying reason, it seems, is the association of time spent watching television with a higher intake of calories, cholesterol and a lower intake of fibre — in other words, an unhealthier diet consisting of more animal products than fruits and vegetables, Assoc Prof Van Dam said.

Contrary to the researchers’ initial beliefs — that the health risks from watching television were due to less physical activity — they found that there was no difference between sitting and watching television and sitting to read or use the computer. The only difference, they postulated, must be peoples’ habit of “mindless” snacking while watching television, a habit less common in those who are reading or working on the computer.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.