Research says watching TV 2 hours a day increases BP risk in children

It may be easier for parents to let their children watch TV in order to keep them busy or under the impression that the child will grow smarter. Well, be aware that according to a new study spending two hours in front of TV is enough for children to get high blood pressure at a later age.  This doesn’t mean 2 hours a day is safe! Don’t surprise if by tomorrow you hear that even one hour poses a serious risk.

The risk could increase to 50% if the child performs no physical activity or is active for less than an hour a day, added the study jointly done by the Universities of Zaragoza and Sao Paulo. The study, which was conducted over two years, looked at 5,221 children aged between 2 and 10 years old. The results, published in the International Journal of Cardiology recently, showed that the cumulative incidence of high blood pressure in this population during the two years analysed is high: 110 in 1,000.

Children who spend more than two hours a day in front of a screen could have a 30% higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure later in life, according to a new European study.

”The study shows the number of new high blood pressure cases and the connection between physical activity and different sedentary behaviours with the risk of high blood pressure in European children,” the study’s lead author Augusto Cesar F de Moraes said in a press release issued by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology.

“High blood pressure can cause cardiovascular problems later in life,” said F de Moraes.

The authors state that children who are sedentary for more than two hours a day, in front of the television, computers or video consoles, run a 30% greater risk of developing high blood pressure.

Quotes curated in public interest from 2 hours of TV a day increases BP risk in children – TOI Mobile | The Times of India Mobile Site
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