Sitting Too Much Raises Cancer Risk, But Short Bursts of Light Activity May Help
Why this matters: health reporting relevant to everyday decisions and well-being.
New research shows that prolonged periods of sitting or lying down could increase the risk of certain cancers. Image Credit: Justin Paget/Getty Images. A new study found that prolonged sedentary behaviors can raise the risk of various cancers, including colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer. Replacing just 1 hour of prolonged sedentary behavior per day with light physical activity reduced the risk of cancer death by 12%. While the findings don’t establish causality, they can help guide personalized strategies to break up sitting time. Sedentary behaviors are ubiquitous in modern life. Many jobs require long periods of sitting, and many people enjoy streaming television shows and movies or playing video games. Whatever the reason, a sedentary lifestyle may raise the risk of various health issues. A new study published in PLOS Medicine on July 2 found that prolonged sedentary behavior could increase the risk of many types of cancer. However, the findings also indicate that breaking up your sitting time, even with just an hour of light activity, can greatly reduce the risk. “A sedentary lifestyle can lead to a person becoming overweight,” said David Yashar, MD, hematologist-medical oncologist of MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. Yashar wasn’t involved in the study. “We know that an increased amount of fat causes inflammation, which is a known risk factor for cancer. Obesity has also been associated with the development of colorectal cancer,” Yashar told Healthline. Prolonged sitting raises cancer-related death risk by 10% The study analyzed data from 91,292 participants in the UK Biobank. Each participant had worn an activity monitor for 7 days and was followed for an average of 12.38 years afterward. During the study, activity was categorized in the following ways: prolonged sedentary (bouts of at least 30 minutes, with at least 90% of the time sedentary) interrupted sedentary (lasted less than 30 minutes