Settling into a comfortable chair to “binge-watch” multiple episodes of your favorite TV show for hours may be hazardous to your health over the long-term, according to Lilian Cheung, lecturer and director, health promotion and communication for the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).
“There’s convincing evidence in adults that the more television people watch, the more likely they are to gain weight or become overweight or obese,” Cheung told NBCNews.com on February 14, 2014. “And there’s emerging evidence that too much TV watching also increases the risk of weight-related chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.”
Learn more
Television watching and “sit time” (HSPH’s Obesity Prevention Source)
Prolonged television viewing linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death (HSPH press release)
TV couch potatoes may be heading for early deaths, report says (HSPH’s The Nutrition Source)