Health Headlines- Week of August 22nd
August 22, 2011 by davidfisher · 2 Comments
Another key to longer life: Turn off the tube
Scientists discover genetic cause of Lou Gehrig’s disease
Happy marriage improves survival after bypass surgery
Study: Vitamin supplements reduce risk for low birth weightÂ
Report: Doctors screen for cervical cancer too often
Dr. Fisher,
on the sitting down watching tv… does that apply to sitting down and reading for hours? it’s probably the same effect though people wouldn’t read for so many hours. thoughts?
Edgar-
The study did not compare TV watching vs reading, so it’s hard to say for sure. I assume that TV watching is worse because it tends to be associated with snacking, and it also has been shown to be less stimulating to the brain than reading. It’s probably true, as you suggest, that it’s easier to sit and watch something for hours, as opposed to sit and read for that long. So I would not be concerned about a lengthy period of reading- just get up and walk around a bit every hour, if you’re going to read extensively.