A new study indicates that spending long hours in front of the television increases the risk of acquiring diabetes.

A 10 year study of nearly 40,000 men found that the more television they watched, the greater the likelihood of developing diabetes. Those who watched over 40 hours per week nearly tripled their risk, compared with those who watched the least.

An article in Consumer Reports on Health points out that previous studies have clearly linked extensive TV watching with an increased risk of obesity because TV viewing burns even fewer calories than other sedentary activities such as reading and avid watchers tend to exercise less.

Researchers found there was another factor. Frequent TV watchers tended to eat more red or processed meats, snacks, and other high fat and high calorie foods.

And to make matters worse, the lack of exercise and a poor diet increase the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and possibly cancer. So get moving.