Can TV Binge Watching Kill? It May Increase Risk of Death

TV addict? It might be time to let go of the remote as a recent study says that binge watching could increase the risk of a certain kind of blood clot that could be fatal to the health and might even lead to death.

But watching too much TV is not hazardous per se. The study is looking at pulmonary embolisms, it's just that, based on their findings, those that spend more than five hours a day are two and a half times have a higher risk of developing the disease. This is after some reports were blown out of proportion according to the NHS in the UK that says TV binge-watching can kill a person, to which researchers say can only increase the risk.

Pulmonary embolism is the condition where there is blockage of the blood vessels responsible for delivering blood from the heart the lungs. Although watching too much TV will not directly kill a person, but being dormant in from of the television for long periods of times increase the risk of developing such threatening disease.

Researchers at the Osaka University Graduate School conducted the study. The Japanese Ministry of Education funded it. The study involved 80,000 adults with ages 40 to 79. And based on the results, people who watch TV more than five hours a day are more likely to develop pulmonary embolism that those who watch lesser.

The study published in the journal Circulation suggests that watching too much TV and being too sedentary could increase the chance of blood clot. "Pulmonary embolism occurs at a lower rate in Japan than it does in Western countries, but it may be on the rise," "The Japanese people are increasingly adopting sedentary lifestyles, which we believe is putting them at increased risk," Hiroyasu Iso, M.D., Ph.D., professor of public health at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine said in a statement.

However the researchers also recognized other potential factors that can increased the risk like obesity, diabetes, cigarette smoking and hypertension. Based on the data they have gathered, after binge watching, obesity is next to having the strongest link to pulmonary embolism.

"Nowadays, with online video streaming, the term 'binge-watching' to describe viewing multiple episodes of television programs in one sitting has become popular," Toru Shirakawa, M.D., study first author said in a statement. "This popularity may reflect a rapidly growing habit."

The researchers suggest simple steps to prevent blood clot while watching TV. It is important to stand up and relax the legs after being sedentary for almost an hour. Drinking water is also essential, according to Dr. Shirakawa.