According to a new study, kids who use tablets or smartphones or watch the television for over three hours per day are at a greater risk of developing diabetes.
Scientists said that daily screen time of three hours is linked to many risk factors associated with the development of diabetes in kids. These include adiposity (total body fat) and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance happens when the cells in the body fail to respond to insulin.
The insulin hormone helps regulate blood glucose levels. Scientists analyzed a sample of 4,500 kids (9-10 years old) from 200 primary schools for a series of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, The Verge reported. These included body fat, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, blood fats, and inflammatory chemicals.
The kids were asked about their daily screen time including television, the use of games consoles, and computers. About four percent of the kids said that screen time did not take up any of their day. Meanwhile, about 37 percent said that they spent one hour on it.
Of the remainder, about 28 percent of kids said that they clocked up one to two hours; 13 percent of the kids said that their daily tally was two to three hours; and about 18 percent of the children said that they spent over three hours on it daily.
Trends emerged between ponderal index (an indicator of weight in relation to height) and screen time, and fat mass and skin-folds thickness. These levels were greater among kids who spent over three hours of daily screen time than in kids who said they spent one hour or less on it.
There was a strong link between the levels of the hormone leptin (which regulates insulin resistance, fasting glucose and appetite) and a daily quota of three hours of screen time.
The associations between screen time and fat mass, skinfolds thickness, ponderal index, insulin resistance, and insulin levels remain important even after considering physical activity levels, puberty stage, family background, and household income.
Scientists said that their findings suggest that decreasing screen time may be beneficial in decreasing Type 2 diabetes risk factors, in girls as well as in boys from an early age. The study was published in Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes include hunger, loss of weight, skin problems, fatigue and excessive thirst.