TV watching increases cardiovascular risk

January 01, 0001

TV watching increases cardiovascular risk

Television (TV) watching has been linked to increases in morbidity and mortality, although quantification of this risk is lacking. These Danish and US researchers performed a systematic review and meta- analysis or prospective cohort studies quantify the risk of TV watching and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. They searched Medline and EMBASE without restrictions, supplemented with reviewing retrieved reference lists yielded 8 studies included (175,938 patients for diabetes, 34,253 patients for cardiovascular disease, and 26,509 patients for all-cause mortality. A random-effects model was used.

The researchers found: "The pooled relative risks per 2 hours of TV viewing per day were 1.20 for type 2 diabetes, 1.15 for fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease, and 1.13 for all-cause mortality. While the associations between time spent viewing TV and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease were linear, the risk of all-cause mortality appeared to increase with TV viewing duration of greater than 3 hours per day. The estimated absolute risk differences per every 2 hours of TV viewing per day were 176 cases of type 2 diabetes per 100,000 individuals per year, 38 cases of fatal cardiovascular disease per 100,000 individuals per year, and 104 deaths for all-cause mortality per 100,000 individuals per year."

The researchers concluded: "Prolonged TV viewing was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality."

This meta-analysis found a small but statistically significant increased risk in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality with TV watching

For the full abstract, click here.

JAMA 305(23):2448-2455, 15 June 2011 © 2011 American Medical Association
Television Viewing and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, and All-Cause Mortality. Anders Grøntved, Frank B. Hu.

Category: K. Circulatory, T. Endocrine/Metabolic/Nutritional. Keywords: television, tv, diabetes, cardiovascular risk, mortality, systematic review with meta-analysis, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 15 July 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.