WASHINGTON — All that TV binge watching could be hazardous to your health.
Researchers in Japan say they’ve got proof that sitting in front of a television for hours on end raises the risk of blood clots — usually in the legs — that can trigger a deadly pulmonary embolism.
They followed 86,000 people for 18 years. Those who watched TV for five hours or more were twice as likely to get a deadly clot as those who watched two and a half hours a day or less.
It’s similar to the health risks associated with long-haul flights in cramped seats, often referred to as “economy class syndrome.”
Lead researcher Tory Shirakawa, a public health specialist at Osaka University, says in both flying and prolonged TV watching, leg immobility is a big part of the problem.
He says the preventative medicine is the same: take breaks, stand up and walk around.
Shirakawa and his team presented their findings at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in London.
