Exercise

Avid television viewers, he said, should do "on-the-spot running" and "step aerobics" while watching TV.

Dr Ong agreed, saying that people should include regular exercise "instead of surfing the Internet or watching TV".

Dr Ulf Ekelund, a co-author of the UK study said: "Watching a couple of hours less TV a night and being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day can substantially reduce our risk of heart disease."

However, Dr Felix Keng, senior consultant of the department of cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore, felt that people should not be overly alarmed.

"There is no scientific basis that watching TV is an independent risk factor for heart artery disease," he said.

He also felt the study's conclusion was an "over-simplification of the situation" - couch potatoes often lead sedentary lifestyles too.

Football fans we spoke to were unfazed.

Civil servant Chris Yeo, 21, said: "It doesn't matter to me, the excitement of a football match is too irresistible to miss."

Mr Shawn Tanudjaja, 22, who works in the food and beverage industry, wondered if the study's findings were exaggerated.

He said: "The World Cup is once every four years and lasts only for a month. Where's the harm?"

This article was first published in The New Paper.