Link Found Between Childhood Television Watching and Adulthood Metabolic Syndrome

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The following is excerpted from an online article posted by ScienceDaily.

A University of Otago study has added weight to the evidence that watching too much television as a child can lead to poor health in adulthood.

The research, led by Professor Bob Hancox of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, and published this week in the journal Pediatrics, found that children who watched more television were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome as an adult.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels that lead to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Using data from 879 participants of the Dunedin study, researchers found those who watched more television between the ages of 5 and 15 were more likely to have these conditions at age 45.

Television viewing times were asked at ages 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15. On average, they watched just over two hours per weekday.

"Those who watched the most had a higher risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood," Professor Hancox says.

"More childhood television viewing time was also associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity and lower physical fitness."

Boys watched slightly more television than girls, and metabolic syndrome was more common in men than women (34 percent and 20 percent, respectively). The link between childhood television viewing time and adult metabolic syndrome was seen in both sexes, however, and may even be stronger in women.

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230724122711.htm