Study suggests possible link between screentime, diabetes risk

Research from London suggests that children who are allowed more than three hours of screen time each day are at greater risk of developing diabetes.

Scientists from universities in London and Glasgow compiled the report based on long-term observations of 4th and 5th graders. They recorded the number of hours each day the children spent watching TV, videos or playing computer games and allied that data to measurements of body fat, exercise and resistance to insulin.

The results revealed that while 37% of children reported that they spent an hour or less watching TV or playing computer games a day, 18% reported spending three or more hours in front of a screen.

The children who reported greater screen time were noted to have higher measures of body fat, higher levels of insulin after fasting, higher levels of estimated insulin resistance and higher levels of leptin – a hormone involved in controlling appetite – all of which are considered risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.

But the authors cautioned that the research does not show that increased screen time itself results in raised levels of risk factors for the disease.

The screen time figures “could be capturing something about your behaviors – how much sedentary time you have and how much you break that up [or] what your dietary habits [are],” said Claire Nightingale, a medical statistician at St George’s, University of London and co-author of the research.

Although the data was collected before electronic devices such as smartphones became ubiquitous, the team believe the link between screen time and diabetes risk is likely to remain. “Potential decreases in screen time could be beneficial”, Nightingale added.

Dan Howarth, head of care at Diabetes UK said that the study highlights a worrying trend.

“The rising number of type 2 diabetes in children is an alarming statistic and addressing the nation’s childhood obesity issues should be the responsibility of us all,” he said.

“Encouraging physical activity over a sedentary lifestyle, such as that relating to screen time, and a healthy balanced diet clearly plays a significant part.”

The results were published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, and were first reported by The Guardian’s Nikola Davis.

(Image courtesy Alamy Stock Photos)