Drug Medical Information

EXERCISING YOUR RIGHT TO GOOD HEALTH: PRIME TIME PUDGES

Warning: Television may be harmful to your health. It's not what you watch, but how much that distinguishes fat from thin and fit from flabby, research now shows.
Americans devote more time to watching television than they do on any activity beyond working or sleeping, surveys find, and as the time spent sitting in front of the TV screen increases, - now about four hours a day - fitness fades away.
In a study of more than 6,000 men conducted at Alabama's Auburn University, TV watching proved to be the determining difference in their level of obesity. Those who watched television more than three hours a day were twice as likely to be obese as men who watched only one hour a day.
The connection between television and tubbiness is confirmed by newer studies. The Harvard School of Public Health in cooperation with Tufts found the more kids watch TV, the more likely they were to be obese. The American Journal of Public Health reported similar findings early in 1991 when a study of 5,000 working women, (average age of 35) revealed obesity doubles as TV-viewership escalates from one hour daily to three or four.
The outlook is the same for teens, the Tufts Diet and Nutrition Letter warns. In a study of nearly 400 teen-age boys, researchers found that those who watched four hours of TV daily were significantly less fit and could do far fewer pushups, pull-ups and sit-ups than their counterparts who spent half as much time in front of the tube.
The next question of course, is why? Tufts suggests two theories:
• People already overweight may be more sluggish or self-conscious about their bodies and therefore choose to avoid physical exertion in the first place;
• Watching TV may actually contribute to weight problems because (a) the stillness required can limit the number of calories burned, and (b) the number of calories consumed while watching is high. Research has shown that people consume more calorie-laden foods during their favorite programs, Tufts says.
So if the most exercise you've gotten lately is jumping at the chance to avoid any activity that might cause you to perspire, you're part of the sluggish majority. About 80 percent of the American population has the same problem.

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