Watching TV 'this much' daily... Dementia risk increases by nearly 50%

Researchers: "Prolonged Viewing Time Increases Brain-Related Risks"

A study has found that prolonged TV watching can significantly increase the risk of dementia.

On the 18th (local time), the British media outlet Daily Mail reported on a recent study conducted by the UK Biobank project involving about 400,000 participants. The study found that people who watch TV for more than 5 hours a day have a 44% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who watch for less than an hour.

The Biobank project researchers analyzed data from 407,000 participants aged 37 to 73 and followed them for 13 years. At the start of the study, none of the participants had any brain diseases, and the average daily TV watching time was 2.7 hours. Over the 13 years of follow-up, 5,227 were diagnosed with dementia, 6,822 experienced strokes, and 2,308 were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Notably, there was a correlation between TV watching time and the risk of brain diseases.

The group watching TV for 3 to 5 hours a day had a 15% higher risk of developing dementia compared to the group watching less than an hour. For those watching more than 5 hours, the risk increased dramatically to 44%. The risk of stroke increased by 12%, and the risk of Parkinson's disease increased by 28%. The researchers explained, "High TV watching time is closely related to an increased risk of various brain-related disorders."

A research team from Tianjin Medical University in China also discovered that watching TV for more than 5 hours leads to a reduction in gray matter and shrinkage of memory centers. Both phenomena affect brain diseases, although the exact mechanisms remain unclear. A team representative said, "There is a theory that sitting while watching TV reduces muscle activity and decreases cerebral blood flow."