You may want to think again before you watch your next streaming series back-to-back. Research suggests that excessive TV time might be particularly bad for us. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association said Black men and women who watched more than four hours of television every day faced a 50 percent greater risk of heart disease and premature death compared to those of us who watched less than two hours daily.
However, researchers also said the link between watching television and heart disease was not found among physically active people for at least 150 minutes a week. This suggests that exercise may offset some of the risks of binge-watching (there are others).
“TV watching occurs at the end of the day where individuals may consume their biggest meal, and people may be completely sedentary with hours of uninterrupted sitting until they go to bed,” lead study author Jeanette Garcia said in a news release.
The study said TV viewing is the most prevalent sedentary behavior in the United States. Given that African Americans report watching from 20 percent to 30 percent more TV than white Americans, researchers suggested getting people to cut back could be a potential target for improving our health.
“Eating a large meal and then sitting for hours at a time could be a very harmful combination,” said Garcia, a kinesiology and physical therapy professor at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
“Snacking may also be an issue, and, unfortunately, individuals typically do not snack on fresh fruits and vegetables but rather potato chips or other sweet or salty, high-calorie foods,” she said. “At a desk job, workers often get up, go to a copy machine, talk with a colleague, go to a meeting or the break room. It’s not hours of uninterrupted sitting.”
The study saw no correlation between sitting at work and a risk of heart disease, matching findings from other researchers.
Researchers said excessive TV time is probably harmful for any racial or ethnic group, and they plan to study further why it might be a more harmful sedentary behavior.
Meanwhile, Garcia said doctors might want to ask their patients about their TV-watching habits. Those who like to watch TV can take preventive measures, such as walking, to offset the health risks.
Growing evidence has linked sedentary behavior to several risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including high blood pressure, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes. “Black Americans at all ages disproportionately experience higher rates of heart disease and stroke as well induce a greater risk for cardiovascular disease. This translates to a lower life expectancy by about five years compared with whites.”
Researchers reviewed data on 3,592 adults enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study, an ongoing community-based study following African Americans living in Jackson, Mississippi. Television habits, hours spent sitting at a desk, and exercise were self-reported. During a follow-up period of more than eight years, there were 129 cardiovascular disease events, such as heart attacks, and 205 deaths.
Study participants who reported spending more time sitting at work were more likely to be female, younger, have a higher body mass index, and have a higher family income. They also ate a healthier diet and engaged in more moderate physical activity. They were less likely to smoke or drink a lot of alcohol.
On the other hand, those who watched several hours of television were more likely to report lower incomes and education status, lower physical activity, a higher BMI, and high blood pressure. They were also more likely to be a current smoker, have unhealthy eating habits, and drink heavier amounts of alcohol.
Nearly one-third reported watching less than two hours of television daily, another 36 percent reported watching two to four hours, and 31 percent said they watched more than four hours.
A more recent study published in 2024 in the Journal of General Medicine tracked television viewing habits of both white and Black participants beginning in their 20s to see how they impacted strokes, heart attacks, and other serious coronary events.
In an interview with US News & World Reports, the study’s lead author, Dr. Jason Nagata, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, shared some key findings:
Every additional hour spent watching television when participants were 23 was tied to 26% higher odds of developing heart disease over the course of the study. It was also linked with 16% higher odds for heart attacks and/or strokes, the UCSF team found.
Screen time wasn’t only dangerous in youth: Every additional hour of daily TV time during midlife also raised a person’s odds for coronary heart disease by 55%, stroke by 58%, and overall heart disease by 32%, the study found.
Nagata wanted to make clear that bad habits don’t form overnight. They are established over time. Our screen habits were established in our twenties. If we want to avoid cardiac events, we need to start making modifications now.
