The Azerbaijan State News Agency

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TV watching `may shorten life`: study

17.08.2011 [11:07]
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Baku, August 17 (AZERTAC). Couch potatoes take note. Sitting in front of the TV for hours on end could shave years off your life.

Researchers estimate that for every hour an adult spends watching TV their life expectancy shortens by almost 22 minutes.

Those glued to the box for six hours a day slice nearly five years off their lives compared to those who don`t watch TV.

While sedentary behaviour has previously been linked to an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, this study is the first to look how TV habits affect how long you live.

Researchers from the University of Queensland said their study indicated that watching TV could have a similar impact on life expectancy to that of obesity, smoking and low physical activity.

"People don`t realise how it all adds up," the study`s lead author Dr Lennert Veerman told AAP.