A health research organized in Norway has revealed that teenage boys could develop weak bones if they spend too many hours watching the television without doing regular exercises.
A Norwegian research reports that teenage boys who spend too many hours in front of computers or televisions, without participating in enough weight-bearing exercise could develop weaker bones as they age.
According to study author, Anne Winther, “We found a relationship between higher screen time and lower bone mineral density in boys, we are not able to detect causality with this study design, but it is likely that screen time is an indicator of a lifestyle that has negative impact on bone mass acquisition.”
Of the 316 boys and 372 girls aged 15 to 19 years old who volunteered for the research, those who spent 2 to 2 hours, or more than 6 hours, in front of the screen every day tended to be slightly heavier than their peers who spent less time.
Also boys overall spent more time in front of the computer and television than girls (five hours a day versus four).
The boys with heavy screen time also had lower bone mineral density (BMD) levels, the amount of mineral per square centimeter of bone, while the girls’ BMD was higher with heavier screen time.
The team also noted that decreased lean mass (muscle) and increased fat mass could be more harmful to boys than girls and might actually protect female bones.