Too much time on smartphones leads to obesity, deadly disease
Young adults who use their smartphones five or more hours per day have a43 percent increased risk of obesity and other health-related problems,including heart disease according to Colombian researchers.
«Spending too much time in front of the Smartphone facilitatessedentary behaviors and reduces time for physical activity, which increases therisk of premature death, diabetes, heart disease, different types of cancer,osteoarticular discomfort and musculoskeletal symptoms,» said MiraryMantilla-Morron, a cardiac pulmonary and vascular rehabilitation specialist atthe Simon Bolivar University (SBU) in Colombia.
The study involved 1,060 students, 700 women and 360 men aged 19 yearsand 20 years respectively, from the Health Sciences Faculty at the SBU from Juneto December 2018.
Researchers found that students who are glued to their smartphones«were twice as likely to drink more sugary drinks, fast food, sweets,snacks and have decreased physical activity.»
Mantilla-Morron, who is also the lead author of the study, said «itis important that the general population know and be aware that, althoughmobile technology is undoubtedly attractive for its multiple purposes,portability, comfort, access to countless services, information andentertainment sources, it should also be used to improve habits and healthybehaviors.»
The potential link between technology and obesity is ripe forexploration, as more than 1.9 billion adults worldwide were overweight in 2016,with 650 million obese, according to the World Health Organization.
«We have also determined that the amount of time in which a personis exposed to the use of technologies-specifically prolonged cell phone use--isassociated with the development of obesity,» she added.