TV Health Problems: Why You Should Turn It Off

We're obsessed withtoo, but recent news has made us squeamish about plopping down in front of the tube.

We love Downton Abbey as much as the next red-blooded television owner, but recent news has made us a bit squeamish about plopping down in front of the tube. Sure, there are some benefits to TV viewing: for example, a pair of studies published last September found that watching a rerun of a favorite show could help people muster up willpower and emotional energy.

But on balance, the news isn't good: TV viewing a la American -- meaning 2.5 to three hours per day, according to the latest numbers -- increases risk for diabetes, heart disease, obesity, attention problems and weight gain in children and, well, death.

And just this week, we learned more sobering news: Watching 20 hours of television per week was associated with a 44 percent reduction in sperm. That got us thinking about all the ways that television viewing can contribute to other health concerns -- here are seven reasons to power down and get off the couch:

Before You Go

Improve Fertility

Why You Should Turn Off The TV

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE