Is Binge-Watching Hazardous to Your Health?
July 25, 2016
Is Binge-Watching Hazardous to Your Health?
By Robert Preidt
Risk of death from blood clot rises along with TV time, study finds.
Binge-watchers, beware: Too much time in front of the TV could boost your risk of death from a blood clot in the lung, researchers warn.
A lung blood clot (pulmonary embolism) typically begins as a clot in the leg or pelvis that develops due to inactivity and reduced blood flow. The clot can break free and travel to a lung and lodge in a small blood vessel, posing a serious threat.
This new study included more than 86,000 people in Japan, aged 40 to 70. They were asked how many hours they spent watching television and then were followed for 19 years. During that time, 59 participants died of a pulmonary embolism.
Compared to those who watched less than 2.5 hours of television a day, the risk of dying from pulmonary embolism increased 70 percent among those who watched 2.5 to 4.9 hours daily. It was 40 percent greater for each additional two hours of television viewing, and 2.5 times higher among those who watched five or more hours a day, the study found.