Reducing time in front of the TV can protect people at risk of type 2 diabetes from experiencing a major cardiovascular event, latest research has shown.
Individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes are less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke if they limit watching television to less than one hour a day, a new study has found.
In addition, minimal TV viewing can prevent people with varying levels of genetic risk for type 2 diabetes from developing blood vessel diseases, recent evidence has revealed.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, otherwise known as ASCVD, is caused by plaque build up in arterial walls and refers to conditions that include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease and aortic atherosclerotic disease.
Major cardiovascular events are associated with a higher risk of premature death, compromised quality of life, stenting procedures, bypass surgeries and amputations.
Senior author Professor Youngwon Kim said: “Type 2 diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle, including prolonged sitting, are major risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.
“Watching TV, which accounts for more than half of daily sedentary behaviour, is consistently associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis.”
Professor Kim added: “Our study provides new insights into the role of limiting TV viewing time in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases for everyone and especially in people with a high genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes.”
During the trial, the team of researchers analysed the health, lifestyle and genetic data of 346,916 adults living in the UK.
Over the 14-year follow up, more than 21,000 of the participants were affected by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Based on 138 genetic variants associated with type 2 diabetes, each participant was given a polygenic risk score on how likely they were to develop the condition.
The participants were divided into one of three groups dependent on how likely they were to develop type 2 diabetes – low, medium and high.
Each participant also self-reported how often they watched TV each day. The study has revealed that 21% of the participants watched TV for one or less hours per day, while 79% watched TV for two or more hours per day.
People who watch TV for two or more hours per day are 12% more likely to develop atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, regardless of their genetic risk for type 2 diabetes.
However, people with a high type 2 diabetes genetic risk can protect themselves from developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by watching less than an hour of TV per day, according to the findings.
Fellow author Mengyao Wang said: “We found that people with high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes may exhibit lower chances of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by limiting TV watching to one hour or less each day.
“This suggests that less TV viewing could serve as a key behavioural target for preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases linked to type 2 diabetes genetics.”
Mengyao Wang added: “Future strategies and actions to prevent disease and improve health by reducing time in front of the TV and promoting other healthy lifestyle modifications should target broad populations, including those with a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes.”
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Damon L Swift, Chair of the American Heart Association’s Physical Activity Committee, said: “This study shows that reducing TV watching can benefit both people at high risk for type 2 diabetes and those at low risk. It also highlights how lifestyle choices can improve health.
“These findings add to the evidence that sitting time may represent a potential intervention tool to improve health in people in general, and specifically for people with a high risk for type 2 diabetes.”
He concluded: “This is especially important because people with type 2 diabetes are at a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease compared to those who do not have type 2 diabetes.”
The study is available in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
