Watching TV for too long puts people at just as much risk of suffering deadly blood clots as a long-haul flight, according to new research. Sitting in front of the TV for an average five or more hours a day leads to twice the risk of fatal pulmonary embolism – blood clots to the lungs – as watching under two and a half hours a day.
Researchers from Osaka University in Japan, who studied 86,000 people over 18 years, said TV viewers should stand up occasionally and drink water to avoid blood clots.
A pulmonary embolism is a blockage in the pulmonary artery, which is the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. Up to 60,000 people die from the condition every year in Britain.
The research, presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference in London, warns that people should take the same precaution when watching television as they do when catching long-haul flights.
The rise of streaming services like Netflix and the boom in downloading entire television series - such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones - could add to the danger.
The study found that people who watch television for more than five hours a day more than double the risk of fatal pulmonary embolism. The risk is even higher between people aged 40 and 59, the Independent on Sunday reported.
Dr Toru Shirakawa, who led the research by the Department of Social Medicine at Osaka University, said: 'This is the first time a direct link between prolonged television watching and fatal pulmonary embolism has been shown.'
He said that long-haul flights were a well-known cause of the condition, but pointed out that people were more likely to regularly watch lots of television than fly.
The academic added: 'To prevent the occurrence of pulmonary embolism, we recommend the same preventive behaviour used against economy-class syndrome. That is, take a break, stand up, and walk around during the television viewing. Drinking water for preventing dehydration is also important.'
Pensioners watch more TV than any other age group with an average of five hours and 40 minutes a day, putting them at more risk.
Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'While we wouldn’t advocate a public health warning for watching television, people who spend many hours in front of the TV should consider how this might be impacting their heart health.'
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