A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that passive sedentary activities are much more likely to lead to an increased risk of early death than active sedentary behaviors.
While the idea of an active sedentary behavior may seem oxymoronic, hear us out. Watching television is passive for both your body and your mind, as you aren’t actively participating in the activity. On the other hand, behaviors like driving in a car or surfing the Internet are active sedentary activities, because while your body is stationary, your mind is constantly working and reacting to participate in the activity.
Lead author Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez expanded on the point.
“When you’re watching television, you’re completely relaxed, spending no energy, and there’s no tension in your muscles. If you’re driving or using a computer for working, you are stressed.”
The desire to learn more about the difference in early mortality rates between individuals who participate in large amounts of active and passive sedentary behaviors led researchers to track more than 13,000 university students for eight years after graduation. Participants were asked about their daily habits, including if they averaged more than three hours of television watching, computer working or driving in a day. At the end of the study researchers discovered:
- 97 individuals had died. 19 from heart complications, 46 from cancer, and 32 from other causes.
- Researchers noted a correlation between television watching time and early death. Those who watched more than three hours of television a day were more than twice as likely to die an early death.
- They did not find a significant correlation between excess computer or driving time and early death.
“Television viewing is a major sedentary behavior, and there is an increasing trend toward all types of sedentary behaviors,” said Martinez-Gonzalez. “Our findings suggest adults may consider increasing their physical activity, avoid long sedentary periods and reduce television watching to no longer than one to two hours each day.”
Researchers say a passive sedentary lifestyle is associated with diabetes, heart disease and stroke. They plan to do a follow-up study to determine why television watching is so detrimental to a person’s health.
Dr. Silverman comments
I commend these authors for their study, but I doubt we need a follow-up to understand why passive sedentary activities are bad for your health. Your body was born to move. We weren’t born with a remote control in our hands. When we sit and don’t challenge our body or mind, it doesn’t get the regular stimulation that it needs. Arteries harden and blood vessels thicken.
Now that Team USA has been eliminated from the World Cup, get outside and be active. The weather is gorgeous, don’t waste the day sitting in front of the tube.
Related source: USA Today
