Children who watch TV double their risk of developing asthma
Added 10.03.2009
The UK has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world with approximately 5.4 million adults and over one million children suffering from the ailment. A new study from the UK has been the first to directly associate an inactive lifestyle during early childhood to a doubled asthma risk in later childhood.
Children between the ages of three and eight who watch two or more hours of television a day (i.e. lead sedentary lifestyles) are doubling their risk of developing asthma compared to children who watch less than two hours of TV. Researchers believe that an active lifestyle during childhood protects the lungs long-term. During exercise, our deep breathing controls smooth muscle in our airway and this protects our lungs from, among other things, developing asthma.
Children who already suffer from asthma often spend too much time watching TV, playing video games and sitting in front of the computer, especially when asthma symptoms flare up. However, many scientists believe that regular exercise is actually good for children with asthma and stress the importance of leading an active lifestyle. During more limiting and severe asthma symptoms, better alternatives to watching TV include puzzles, reading, drawing, and other arts and crafts.
References:
American Academy of Pediatrics. January/February 2009.
Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments:
We all know that watching TV for several hours a day may result in obesity. This study proves that even asthma can be provoked in children who watch too much TV. Asthma is a serious chronic disease that each year results in death during asthma attacks. How can we, as responsible parents, prevent this? Is an asthma inhaler the optimal treatment? Unfortunately, we know that these inhalers have lots of side effects. But are there effective, natural and side effect-free solutions? Yes, an active lifestyle, a healthy diet and side effect-free nutritional supplements containing grape seed extract are often sufficient to prevent and most often even treat existing asthma. But remember that the dosage of grape seed extract must be adjusted to the need of each individual for maximum effect. Asthma is a serious disease and changes in medication should always be discussed with a qualified health provider.
