Too much TV puts children's hearts at risk
Apr-20-2011

Children who spend too much time watching television increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes in later life, an Australian study showed Wednesday.
In what was declared world-first research, the University of Sydney found that six- to seven-year-olds who spent the most time watching television had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes.
This increased their chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes when they were older.
"Parents need to get their children up and moving and off the couch," said Dr Bamini Gopinath, the lead author.
The study examined 1,500 six- and seven-year-olds in 34 primary schools in Sydney.
On average, the children studied spent 1.9 hours a day watching television and 36 minutes a day in organised physical activity.
Those with the highest levels of physical activity -- just over an hour or more -- had significantly wider retinal arteries on average than those who spent less than half an hour a day being physically active.
"We found children with a high level of physical activity had a more beneficial microvascular profile compared to those with the lowest levels of physical activity," said Gopinath.
"This suggests unhealthy lifestyle factors may influence microcirculation early in life and increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure later in life."

Read the rest of the article right here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110420/hl_afp/australiamedicaltelevision

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