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August 22, 2021

Watching too much TV is actually killing you: study

Football season is right around the corner, and for me that will usually mean a few things.

1224537_couch_potato It will mean a good, firm butt mould in a couch or chair, it will mean multitasking through enough electronic devices to make Thomas Edison blush, and it will surely mean two folded arms and a pair of giant, rolling eyeballs from my exasperated girlfriend.

Yet while 12 hours in front of the TV on Sunday is all in good fun, a new study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine isn’t laughing along.

By a report just published in the medical log, watching too much TV is – yes, mom – killing you.

According to the study, every hour of TV watched after the age of 25 reduces your lifespan by a startling 22 minutes.

To find this figure, scientists abstracted data from TV watchers in Australia, then compared it against numbers from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, which has tracked the country’s health and waistlines since 1999.

*Bing: What nation watches the most TV?

In full disclosure, certainly this study may break no new ground; it’s not a stretch to say that sitting and watching TV for an hour is less likely to build your body’s longevity than, for instance, taking a walk.

But there’s plenty to note here, nonetheless, including some very specific figures that would be daunting to any couch potato.

In the study, researchers also found that, in addition to every hour of TV watched after 25 shortening your life by about 22 minutes, those that sit in front of the tube as much as six hours per day can expect to live nearly five years less than persons that watch no TV at all.

So, turn off True Blood  for crying out loud!

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...