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REDUCE the time you spend watching telly — a recent study of 4,099 people found an increase in daily TV time (even as little as an hour a day) was associated with an increase in pain, reports the journal BMC Public Health.

This was more pronounced in people with type 2 diabetes. Uninterrupted sitting can affect blood sugar levels, insulin and other aspects of metabolism, which in turn increase inflammation, and precipitate pain.

Professor David Dunstan, the principal researcher, said reducing TV time can have ‘a profound effect’ on pain related to ageing, and could work ‘hand-inhand with other therapies’ for chronic pain.