Reducing TV viewing to less than one hour a day ‘could prevent one in nine cases of coronary heart disease’

A major risk factor for coronary heart disease is sitting for long periods of time rather than being physically active

People who watched more than four hours of TV each day were at greatest risk of the disease (Getty)

Reducing TV viewing to less than one hour a day could prevent one in nine cases of coronary heart disease, according to new research.

Watching too much TV is associated with increased risk of heart disease – regardless of an individual’s genetic makeup.

But the new study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, shows that – assuming a causal link – 11 per cent of coronary heart disease cases could be prevented if people watched less than an hour of TV each day.