Watching more than 2hours and 12minutes of daytime TV can lead to an early death, major study warns

Watching television for hours on end each day is bad for your health and can even lead to an early death, warned a large-scale study last night.

It linked long spells in front of the TV to habits like smoking, drinking and bad diet as well a higher threat of heart disease.

Those at the greatest risk live in poorer areas, according to data from nearly 329,000 people.

The research by the University of Glasgow examined the health of people aged 40 to 69, checking how many watched television for four hours or more a day. 

This was classed as ‘high’ and such viewers were highly likely to be watching daytime or late-night TV.

Those with the most healthy lifestyles viewed their set for 2.2 hours a day while 2.9 hours was moderately healthy.

Academics also examined the number of participants who slept for less than seven hours or more than nine hours each day. 

Their findings from the UK Biobank database suggest that too much or too little sleep can also lead to poorer health and shorter lives.

Other factors were taken into account such as obesity, physical activity, smoking, drinking and diet. 

But the study in The Lancet Public Health journal said TV viewing time and sleep duration were ‘emerging risk factors’ in assessing lifestyles. 

Watching television for hours on end each day is bad for your health and can even lead to an early death, warned a large-scale study last night [File photo]

Although deprived groups ‘are likely to experience disproportionate harm from unhealthy lifestyles’, death rates could be cut, it added.

‘Lifestyle scores show a high proportion of deaths are due to modifiable factors and are therefore avoidable, highlighting new targets for public health intervention,’ concluded the researchers.