Screen time linked to child heart risk

SYDNEY, April 21 (UPI) -- A sedentary lifestyle during childhood -- lots of TV and computer screen time -- was linked to cardiovascular disease later in life, Australian researchers say.

Lead author Bamini Gopinath, a senior research fellow at the Center for Vision Research at the University of Sydney, and colleagues found 6-year-olds who spent most of their time watching television, using a computer or playing video games had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes -- a heart disease risk factor.

The more sedentary behavior was associated with an average narrowing of 2.3 microns in the retinal arteriolar caliber -- micron is one-25th of a thousandth of an inch.

However, 6- to 7-year-olds who regularly spent time outdoors involved in some physical activity had 2.2 microns wider average retinal arteriolar compared to those children with the lowest level of activity, Gopinath said. The study included 1,492 children in 34 primary schools in Sydney.

"We found that children with a high level of physical activity had a more beneficial microvascular profile compared to those with the lowest levels of physical activity," Gopinath said in a statement. "This suggests that unhealthy lifestyle factors may influence microcirculation early in life and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension later in life."

The findings are published in the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.