Spending more than two hours a day in front of a TV screen increases the probability of high blood pressure by 30 percent, according to a new study of European children.
The research, led by the Universities of Zaragoza (Unizar) and São Paulo (Brazil), also found a getting less an hour of daily physical activity a day increases hypertension risk by 50 percent.
"The study shows the number of new high blood pressure cases and the connection between physical activity and different sedentary behaviors with the risk of high blood pressure in European children," said lead researcher Augusto César F. de Moraes, a Brazilian who collaborates with the Unizar group.
The scientists based their conclusion on medical charts involving 5,221 children from eight European countries (Spain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Cyprus, Estonia, Sweden, and Belgium), who were between 2 and 10 years old at the beginning of the study.
The results, published in the International Journal of Cardiology, show that the rate of high blood pressure during the two years analyzed in the study is high: 110 in 1,000.
"High blood pressure can cause cardiovascular problems later in life," said de Moraes. "For example, it increases the risk of ischemic heart disease.
"The figures are worrying, given that sedentary behaviors are common in infancy and subsequently, later in life."
Experts recommend that young people engage in physical activity for more than 60 minutes a day, and limit sedentary activities last no longer than two hours a day.
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