Each extra hour of prolonged sitting linked to 9% higher cancer death risk
A study published in PLOS Medicine suggests that prolonged, uninterrupted sitting is linked to a 9% higher risk of cancer mortality. Researchers found that the pattern of sedentary behavior, rather than just the total time spent sitting, significantly impacts health outcomes.
Why it matters
This research challenges current health guidance by emphasizing that breaking up sedentary time is as important as reducing total sitting time for cancer prevention.
Spending long periods sitting without getting up may carry greater health risks than simply accumulating a high amount of sedentary time over the course of a day. A new study found that every additional hour of prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior was associated with a 9% higher risk of dying from cancer.
The research was led by Frederick Ho of the University of Glasgow, UK, and colleagues, and was published in the open access journal PLOS Medicine .
Earlier research has linked greater amounts of sedentary behavior, including sitting, reclining, or lying down while awake, with poorer health outcomes. Most current guidance, however, concentrates on the total amount of time people spend sedentary.
The new findings suggest that the pattern of that sedentary time may also be important. Sitting for many shorter periods may not carry the same associations as remaining sedentary for longer, uninterrupted stretches.
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