Researchers in Australia say that the more time you spend sitting in front of the television, the shorter your lifespan will be. A team of researchers followed 3,846 men and 4,954 women with no prior history of cardiovascular disease for seven years, monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, and TV-watching habits. They found that for every hour spent in front of the television, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease increased by 18 per cent, and the risk of dying from all causes increased by 11 per cent. “For many people, on a daily basis, they simply move from one chair to another – from the chair in the car to the chair in the office to the chair in front of the television,” said David Dunstan of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Victoria. The team speculates that sitting in front of the TV or computer screen plays a significant role in the way in which our bodies burn glucose and fat. Television watching is the most common sedentary activity carried out in the home, according to previous studies.