Watching TV May Increase Your Risk Of Diabetes

Could watching television increase your risk of diabetes?

New findings published in the journal Diabetologia show that too much time in front of the idiot box could increase weight gain, a sedentary lifestyle and the like, all contributing to the aforementioned health issue.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 3,000 overweight adults participating in a Diabetes Prevention Program.

While the study did not demonstrate a direct cause-and-effect relationship, the elevated risk associated with extended TV watching was seen whether or not study participants were on diabetes drugs or whether they engaged in healthy diets combined with exercise.

Furthermore, researchers found that this was particularly true in light of increasing issues with obesity rates throughout the United States.

"As time goes on and people are getting less active and more overweight, the number of people at risk for diabetes is increasing by leaps and bounds," said senior study author Andrea Kriska, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, who is with the university's Graduate School of Public Health, via TIME.

"It's not a rare group of people who could develop an increased risk of diabetes because of their sedentary habits, she added, noting that excess time in front of the television can also contribute to overeating.

Of course, little lifestyle interventions can help reduce the amount of time in front of the television. Experts recommend a little more exercise, perhaps? And then maybe just less time in front of the tube, altogether.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).