Sitting for longer hours at work may not be as bad for the heart as sitting while watching television.<br />” <br />” A study, led by researchers at Columbia University in the United States, found that leisure-time sitting while watching TV was associated with a greater risk of heart disease and death.<br />” <br />” The research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, also found that moderate-to-vigorous exercise may reduce or eliminate the harmful effects of sedentary television watching.<br />” <br />” For the study, the researchers followed 3,592 people for almost 8.5 years. &nbsp;<br />” <br />” The participants who had logged the most TV-viewing hours around four or more hours a day had a 50 per cent greater risk of cardiovascular events and death compared to those who watched the least amount of TV for less than two hours a day.<br />” <br />” Even for the most dedicated TV watchers, moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as walking briskly or doing aerobic exercise, reduced the risk of heart attacks, stroke, or death.<br />” <br />” According to the study, no increased risk of heart attack, stroke or death was seen in people who watched TV for four or more hours a day and engaged in 150 minutes or more of exercise a week.<br />