Did You Know That Too Much TV Could Kill You?

Too much television not only ensures that you will become obese, lethargic, and even diabetic in no time since you are sitting down all the time. Apparently, a new study claimed that this habit can lead to your untimely demise too, because a blood clot in the lung can form. 

According to the researchers, a lung blood clot or pulmonary embolism may form if you are a couch potato. This starts with a clot in the leg as well as in the pelvis, mainly because you are not moving much, reducing blood flow. Alarmingly, this clot in the leg or pelvis can travel to a lung and then lodge in a small blood vessel!

The finding was generated from data gathered from 86,000 people in Japan, ranging from 40 to 70 years old. The researchers how many hours they devote to television watching and then followed them for 19 years. On this small span of time, 59 participants passed way because of pulmonary embolism, as reported by CBS News.

An analysis of the data they gathered showed that pulmonary embolism risk can increase by 70% among people who watch more than 2.5 hours of television a day. In particular, this was observed among those who watch television 2..5 to 4.9 hours a day. What more those who sit in front of the television for more than 5 hours? 

The study is now published in the journal Circulation. Binge watching as a practice is not likely to die down any time soon. "Nowadays, with online video streaming, the term 'binge watching' to describe viewing multiple episodes of television programs in one sitting has become popular," Shirakawa said in a journal news release. "This popularity may reflect a rapidly growing habit."

Interestingly, the study was done in Japan, where people are much less sedentary than Americans. According to New Web, 70% of American are couch potatoes. It is only natural to assume that Americans are at greater risk.