TV watchers watching more, getting fatter

Nielsen reports that television watching is up almost six hours per month from last year; study shows people eat more while couch surfing.

If it seems as though North America is putting a little dent in the planet, it may not be just an illusion. Information put out by a pair of different organizations tells us some things that many have long suspected--North Americans are watching more and more television, and we're getting fatter doing it.

Mr. Creosote loves his Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathons.

Nielsen, the company that semi-accurately keeps tabs on what the US watches on television, released the latest stats on general viewing habits yesterday, and it says we're tuning in more than last year.

Last year, Nielsen stated that the average American watched 121 hours and 48 minutes of television during May 2007. Yesterday, the company said viewing hours of the average American in May 2008 bumped up to 127 hours and 15 minutes. For those keeping score at home, that's more than five full days.

And while lying down on the couch, TV viewers are usually snacking with their nonremote hand, according to a study done by the University of Toronto. According to Reuters, the study took two groups of lunching children, one in front of a television and one without a television, and found that the former took in an extra 228 calories during the sitting (for comparison, McDonald's says there are 250 calories in one of its hamburgers).

"One of [the study's] conclusions is that eating while watching television overrides our ability to know when to stop eating," said the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, something that anyone who has hit the bottom of a Pringles tin while watching The Biggest Loser (oh, the irony!) can attest to.

While both these points may seem obvious, there's now research to back them up. Are you guilty of mindless munching? Raise your Cheetos-crusted hand if so!

TAG：tv,watchers,watching,more,getting,fatter

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