Beware bingeing on box sets... it may harm health
BINGE-WATCHING television puts you at a higher risk of potentially fatal blood clots even if you are otherwise physically active, a study shows.
those who watch at least four hours a day – roughly two movies or four episodes of a typical box set – increase the chance of developing a clot by more than a third, researchers say.
they advise taking breaks from sitting in front of the TV in order to move around to help keep your blood circulation going.
a team from the University of Bristol examined the link between TV viewing and venous thromboembolism (VTE), which include pulmonary embolism – blood clots in the lungs – and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Researchers analysed three studies involving 131,000 participants. time spent watching TV was assessed through a ques Preventive tionnaire. Participants, who were followed for between five and 20 years, were categorised as prolonged viewers, who watched at least four hours a day, or never/ seldom viewers, who watched less than 2.5 hours.
Researchers calculated the relative risk of developing VtE in each category. the findings, published in the European Journal of
cardiology, revealed prolonged viewers were 35 per cent more likely than never/seldom viewers to develop VTE.
this association was independent of age, sex, body mass index and physical activity – all factors strongly linked to the risk of VTE.
Dr Setor Kunutsor, lead author of the study, said: ‘the findings indicate that... watching many hours of television is a risky activity with regards to developing blood clots. Prolonged TV viewing involves immobilisation, which is a risk factor for VTE.
‘this is why people are encouraged to move around after surgery or during a long-haul flight. In addition, when you sit in a cramped position for long periods, blood pools in your extremities rather than circulating and this can cause blood clots.
‘If you sit a lot in your daily life – for example your work involves sitting for hours at a computer – be sure to get up and move around from time to time.’
a report from regulator Ofcom revealed that, in 2020, UK adults spent nearly six hours a day watching TV and online videos.