Cancer Risk Increases With Prolonged Sitting

We already know the most evident causes of cancer: smoking, unhealthy eating habits and excessive exposure to the sun. But a recently published study has found that living a sedentary lifestyle could also increase your risk of developing cancer.

Spending your days on the couch or in front of the computer is likely to raise your risk of obesity, but did we ever think it could raise our risk of cancer? Researchers at the University of Regensburg in Germany found that for every two hours spent sitting in front of a computer or television, an individual raises his or her risk of colon cancer by 8%, endometrial cancer by 10%, and lung cancer by 6%.

The researchers examined 43 observational studies that included over 4 million people, nearly 69,000 of which who were diagnosed with various cancers. The participants in the studies were asked to answer questions about their daily activities as well as their cancer incidence. Those who spent more hours watching TV or idling on the couch possessed higher rates of cancer than more active individuals.

"Prolonged sitting time lowers energy expenditure and displaces time spent in light physical activities, which consequently leads to weight gain over time," the researchers noted, in this NBC News article. "Moreover, TV viewing is accompanied by increased consumption of unhealthy foods, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, and fast food."

The study, "Television Viewing and Time Spent Sedentary in Relation to Cancer Risk: A Meta-analysis," was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The University of Regensburg researchers sought to quantitatively summarize sedentary behaviors to cancer risk because it had yet to be accomplished.

It's certainly difficult to remain as active as one would like to be when working a full-time job or attending school as a full-time student, but the researchers say there are ways to improve your mobility. They suggest taking breaks at work, or while studying, to walk around for a few minutes to keep your body acclimated to moving. Sitting is also associated with poor circulation and inflammation because it inhibits the body's muscles from receiving the amount of blood and oxygen they need. These are also risk factors for cancer.