By the winter of 2005, the extra calories and his now-sedentary lifestyle caught up with him.

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With a sizable paunch and a sedentary lifestyle, Bryan Cecchi fits the mold of the typical middle-age American male.

FORBES: The Unknown Epidemic

Whether slim or fat, a person leading a sedentary lifestyle has similar chances of dying young to a smoker.

BBC: Laziness will send us to an early grave

Sports is the best antidote for Type 2 diabetes, which is caused by a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition, you say.

FORBES: Is School Sports At Fault For More Kids Having Type 2 Diabetes?

According to new research, though, fast food and a sedentary lifestyle may not be the only contributors to the growing problem of obesity.

NPR: 10 More Possible Triggers to Obesity

When the researchers compared the survey findings with the sperm test results they found the link between sedentary lifestyle and low sperm count.

BBC: Prolonged TV viewing linked to lower sperm count

"Astronauts' bones become weaker and their physical fitness decreases the longer they spend in space, much like an elderly person leading a sedentary lifestyle, " says Dr Green.

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Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are known to increase the risk of developing type 2, and the precipitous rise of diabetes in America is largely linked to the rise in obesity.

ECONOMIST: Diabetes

About 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and 90 percent of those cases are type 2 diabetes, which is more likely to occur with aging, excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle.

CNN: Weights plus walking equals more fit in less time

They did find that pessimists were also likely to have other heart risk factors such as being overweight and a sedentary lifestyle, though once they corrected for those, mood alone was still a factor.

CNN: Optimistic women may have lower risk of heart disease