It will cut the odds of making it past 60.
Spending your youth constantly glued to screens, whether it’s your phone, computer, or TV, could significantly reduce your chances of living past 60, according to a recent study.
The research, which tracked the health of over 4,000 young adults for more than three decades, revealed that those who spent considerable time watching TV in their early 20s had a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack later in life.
Dr. Jason Nagata, the study’s lead author, emphasized that “the amount of time young adults spend in front of screens can greatly impact their risk of developing severe heart conditions as they age.” He pointed out that excessive screen time can take away from crucial activities like sleep and exercise, highlighting the need to encourage healthy screen habits early on to prevent heart disease and stroke.
Nagata, an associate professor in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), based these findings on data from the Coronary Artery Risk and Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which has been monitoring heart disease risk factors in adults for decades.
The study found that each additional hour of TV watched daily at age 23 was linked to a 26% increase in the risk of developing heart disease, along with a 16% increase in the likelihood of heart attacks or strokes. Moreover, continued screen time in middle age also posed significant risks: every extra hour of TV viewing raised the odds of coronary heart disease by 55%, stroke by 58%, and overall heart disease by 32%.
According to Nagata, this suggests that screen habits established in young adulthood can influence behaviors throughout life, potentially setting the stage for future health problems.
Discussion about this post