To Control Diabetes, Turn Off the TV

(LifeWire) - People with diabetes are no strangers to complex devices. They deal with things, such as blood glucose meters, insulin injectors, food scales and sometimes insulin pumps on a daily basis. When it comes to controlling diabetes, though, the machine that could have the biggest impact of all on their lives is not a medical appliance — it's the TV.

This may sound a bit farfetched or another one of those "turn off the TV and get more exercise" lectures, but consider the power of the following evidence:

Diabetes risk increases 14% for every 2 hours a day spent watching TV, according to a 2003 study of women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers estimated that 43% of new cases of diabetes in this group of women could have been potentially prevented with a lifestyle that included fewer than 10 hours of TV viewing a week and at least 30 minutes of brisk walking a day.

In 2003 study published in the journal Lipids, men who watched more than 40 hours of TV per week were 3 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than men who watched TV less than 1 hour weekly -- and not all of this difference was explained by the reduced exercise and increased snacking linked with sitting in front of the tube.

A similar relationship between higher TV-viewing rates and difficulty controlling blood sugar levels of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes was suggested in a 2007 study in the journal Diabetes Care. Interestingly, increased amounts of time spent at the personal computer did not seem to have the same effect.

No one really needs a scientific study to confirm what's simply common sense. We all know that exercise is better for your health than sitting in front of the TV. The problem is that the TV is intricately linked with the lifestyles of most Americans. So getting control of tube time can require a concentrated effort.

The following tactics can help, especially if you have diabetes:

Make TV "Appointments"
Watching a favorite show or catching the news at a certain time each day is fine. But schedule these viewing "appointments" the way you would set any other kind of appointment. For instance, spend only 1 hour from 8 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights watching TV. When the "appointment" is over, turn off the TV.

Ditch the Remote
This sounds like tough love, but a remote control has a way of turning a plan to watch a single show into a full night of surfing for entertainment. Hide it in a drawer, put it in the cupboard or lock it in a safe. Just keep the remote far out of reach.

Make "No TV During Meals" Rule
Watching television during meals is double trouble. Not only can this result in a full night of mindless watching, but the program takes attention away from the meal, increasing the chance you'll overeat or opt for foods that are less than healthy. That's bad for both your waistline and your attempts to control your diabetes.

Stop Watching TV in Your Bedroom
Watching TV in bed will reduce the likelihood that you'll get up and do something else. It will also probably make you stay up later than you should.

Snack Smart When Watching TV
More tough love? You bet. But a big part of the link between TV and obesity, and therefore some cases of diabetes, is the extra calories idly consumed while watching TV. If you're going to munch while watching a show, limit your options to fruit, vegetables and healthy beverages. This way you'll fill up on nutritious foods, rather than junk.

Declare Certain Days "TV-Free Days"
Not only does this tactic ensure at least one slightly more active evening, but it focuses your attention on alternatives -- reading, doing chores, working on puzzles, spending time with a hobby or sport or taking a walk. Start with one TV-free day per week, and try to increase it to two or three. Who knows? You may even find you like the TV-free days better.

 

_Sources:

Hu, Frank B., Tricia Y. Lee, Graham A. Colditz, Walter C. Willett, and JoAnn E. Manson. "Television Watching and Other Sedentary Behaviors in Relation to Risk of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women."/ Journal of the American Medical Association/ (2003)289(14): 1785-1791. 4 Nov. 2007 .

Hu, Frank B. "Sedentary Lifestyle and Risk of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Abstract." /Lipids/ (2003)38: 103-108. 4 Nov. 2007. (subscription)

Margeirsdottir, Hanna D., Jakob R. Larsen, Cathrine Brunborg, Leiv Sandvik, Knut Dahl-Jorgensen, for the Norwegian Study Group for Childhood Diabetes. "Strong Association Between Time Watching Television and Blood Glucose Control in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes." /Diabetes Care/ (2007)30: 1567-1570. American Diabetes Association. 4 Nov. 2007 .