Watching TV For Over 2 Hours Daily Ups High BP Risk In Kids
LONDON: Spending over two hours a day infront of a television or computer can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure by 30 per cent in children, a new study conducted in eight European countries has warned.
For years now scientific literature has associated watching the television with a sedentary lifestyle and obesity in young people. Researchers led by the Universities of Zaragoza and Sao Paulo have found a relationship between this habit and a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.
The scientists studied data gathered over two years from 5,221 children in eight European countries like Spain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Cyprus, Estonia, Sweden and Belgium. The kids were between 2 and 10 years old at the beginning of the study.
The results, published in the International Journal of Cardiology, show that the cumulative incidence of high blood pressure in this population during the two years analysed is high: 110 in 1,000. "High blood pressure can cause cardiovascular problems later in life. For example, it increases the risk of ischemic heart disease," Augusto Cesar F de Moraes, a Brazilian researcher and lead author of the study, told Scientific Information and News Service.
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