Study: Car, TV hazardous to your health

Neal Augenstein, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – It doesn’t seem fair — two status symbols that many of us have worked hard to attain make us more likely to die from a heart attack.

The Daily Mail reports a new Swedish study shows those who own both a car and a television are 27 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who own neither.

The research shows employees in well-to-do countries — like the U.S. — who spend a lot of time behind a desk are also more likely to have diabetes and high blood pressure.

The study of more than 29,000 people in 52 countries suggests moderate exercise at work greatly reduces the risk of heart failure.

Researchers at Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden determined mild activity reduced the chance of heart problems by 13 percent, and 24 percent for moderate exercise.

Heavy physical labor does not reduce heart attack risk, researchers found.

To read more about this study, follow this link.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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