How binge watching your favourite box sets could be deadly: More than 2.5 hours in front of the TV raises risk of a clot by 70%


  • Watching multiple episodes of series in one sitting increased risk the most
  • Those who binged on five hours a day were 2.5 times more likely to suffer
  • Researchers urge viewers pause the TV every hour to stretch their legs

Sophie Borland Health Editor For The Daily Mail

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Binge-watching numerous episodes of your favourite TV series could be deadly, researchers claim.

They have found that adults who spent at least five hours or more in front of the television a day were two-and-a-half times more likely to die from a blood clot in the lungs.

Japanese scientists say those most at risk were those who watched multiple episodes of a series in one sitting.

They urge anyone who enjoys watching numerous episodes of American dramas such as Game Of Thrones or House Of Cards to pause the TV every hour and stretch their legs.

Danger: Those who watched between 2.5 and five hours of TV box sets such as House of Cards (pictured) were 70 per cent more at risk of a clot

The team of academics from Osaka University followed 86,024 men and women over 19 years who had completed surveys on how much television they watched a day.

In that period, 56 died from a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot in the lung that develops after long periods of inactivity.

But the researchers found that adults who watched five or more hours of television more 2.5 times more likely to have died from the condition.

Those who watched between two and a half hours and five hours were 70 per cent more at risk.

Dr Toru Shirakawa, lead researcher and an expert in public health at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine said: ‘Nowadays, with online video streaming, the term “binge-watching” to describe viewing multiple episodes of television programs in one sitting has become popular.

‘This popularity may reflect a rapidly growing habit.’

Around 2,300 Britons die from pulmonary embolisms in the UK each year and they are often linked to an extended stay in hospital or long plane journeys.

They occur when a blot clot develops in the leg due to inactivity and then travels to the main artery linking the heart and the lungs, preventing blood getting through.

Symptoms include a sudden sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint or coughing.

But the researchers said pausing the TV every hour or so to have a stretch and walk round the room could massively reduce the risk.

Take a break: Pausing the TV every hour or so to have a stretch and walk round the room could massively reduce the risk of a deadly clot,  researchers say

This is similar to the advice for passengers on long haul plane journeys who are urged to stroll down the aisle and press their feet down on the foot rest.

Dr Hiroyasu Iso, professor of public health, who also led the research said: ‘After an hour or so, stand up, stretch, walk around, or while you’re watching TV, tense and relax your leg muscles for minutes.

‘Pulmonary embolism occurs at a lower rate in Japan than it does in Western countries.

SIGNS OF A DEADLY BLOOD CLOT 

Pulmonary embolisms occur when a blot clot develops in the leg due to inactivity and then travels to the main artery linking the heart and the lungs, preventing blood getting through.

Symptoms include a sudden sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint or coughing.

But the researchers said pausing the TV every hour or so to have a stretch and walk round the room could massively reduce the risk.

This is similar to the advice for passengers on long haul plane journeys who are urged to stroll down the aisle and press their feet down on the foot rest.

‘The Japanese people are increasingly adopting sedentary lifestyles, which we believe is putting them at increased risk.’

The research is based on adults’ TV watching-habits several years before Netflix and DVD box sets were invented.

But they believe men and women who binge-watched television 20 years ago continued the habit, and moved on to the newer forms of technology.

They are keen to carry out more up-to-date research directly looking at the effect of online video streaming on blood clots.

Netflix first launched in the UK in 2012 and more than three million households are now subscribed.

Customers pay a monthly fee of around £7 to enable them to watch numerous different TV series from all the main channels.

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