A new study has found that cutting back on watching television could contribute to weight loss. TV viewing is a major element of adults’ sedentary behavior, and subjects who decreased their television time by 50 percent increased their energy expenditure by 119 kcal per day.

The Stanford University researchers also said that couch potatoes spend an even smaller amount of energy than subjects who perform other less-strenuous activities like reading, writing, or talking on the phone.

The participants, with a mean age of 42 years and a mean baseline body mass index (BMI) of 32, showed very little difference in their energy intake, energy balance, or BMI, regardless of their placement in the control group or the intervention group.

This study was not without its limitations, said the researchers. It was too short for proper information to be gathered and there was no information regarding whether time using a computer increased as time spent watching TV decreased. This latter piece of data is something that might be essential before drawing any true conclusions, although some assumptions can still be made.

The final conclusion of this study was, as you would expect, that less television viewing resulted in increased energy expenditure. While it did turn out to be limited in scope, it certainly indicates that more studies should be performed in this area.