Too many hours spent playing videogames indoors is contributing to a rise in rickets, according to a new study by doctors.
Professor Simon Pearce and Dr Tim Cheetham of Newcastle University have written a paper in the British Medical Journal which warns of the rickets uptake – a disease which sufferers get when deficient in Vitamin D.
The study boils down to the fact that as more people play videogames indoors they don't get enough sunlight and this has meant the hospitals are now having to combat a disease that was last in the papers around the time Queen Victoria was on the throne.
Well, there are 20 new cases in Newcastle each year, which is apparently enough for doctors to be worried.
"Vitamin D levels in parts of the population are precarious," said Pearce about the findings.
"The average worker nowadays is in a call centre, not out in the field. People tend to stay at home rather than going outside to kick a ball around. They stay at home on computer games."
Smell a flower
TechRadar spoke to Tim Ingham, Editor of CVG, who is less than impressed with videogames being singled out as a cause of rickets, explaining to TechRadar: "What a cruel headline to unleash in the same week that Ubisoft's limb-flailing Just Dance becomes the UK's most popular game.
"It sounds like rubbish to me; I've put myself throughsome pretty heavy gaming sessions and the worst I've been left with is aching thumbs and a regretfully empty bag of Haribo.
"That said,it's good to take regular breaks from your PS3; go outside, smell a flower, talk to a girl, that sort of thing. It'll give you a fresh perspective on life. Same applies to miserly, game-hating, ignorant hacks."
So, throw away your poop-sock, go smell a flower but also still rock out on Guitar Hero. Everything in moderation, people.
Via the Metro
Your comments (4) Click to add a new comment
caimbeul
January 23rd 2010
4. If it is simply staying indoors away from the sun then any activity that requires you to spend a large amount of time indoors is equally responsible such as work! and then going home! Otherwise. I have been playing games since the age of 6 and am now 32...no rickets here.
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anteaus
January 22nd 2010
3. Of course, the recent met trends could have as much influence on health and fitness as indoor gaming. Round here, there has hardly been a single let-up in the foul weather for months on-end.
Was thinking of joining a sports club if it continues, as that's about the only way I can get any exercise in these conditions. Not that it would give me exposure to sunlight for generatng vitamin D, mind you.
Sunlight? Oh, I vaguely recall. A round thing in the sky, wasn't it?...
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vegantreeman
January 22nd 2010
2. Any activity that keeps kids or adults out of the sun will prevent vitamin D synthesis from sunlight - but only in summer. In the UK the sun is so low in the sky in winter that the atmosphere filters out all the UVB light. Vit D protects against cancer, including skin cancer, so go outside with bare skin in the summer, without burning. Sunscreen is probably a major cause of Vit D deficiency and the rise in skin cancers.
Supplements are probably the best way to go in winter and it seems that up to 5000 iu can safely be taken daily. I have found iherb.com to be cheap - don't order more than £18 to avoid VAT as the order gets to the UK and use code PAR221 to get discount.
As a vegan I have to take this seriously, but apparently most folks in the UK are vit D deficient - the RDA was set at a level to stop rickets, but we need a lot more to stay healthy.
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bpearson
January 22nd 2010
1. It's ridiculous that videogaming seems to get the blame for this kind of thing. I'm waiting for the Daily Mail to run a story blaming videogames for illegal immigrants or swine flu.
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