Sitting for over 30 minutes continuously may increase cancer death risk, study finds

Researchers suggest the issue is not sitting itself, but prolonged periods without standing up. The study utilized data from 91,292 adults aged 37 to 73 from the UK Biobank. Between 2013 and 2015, participants wore a wrist accelerometer for a week to accurately measure sitting time, uninterrupted periods, and physical activity intensity.

Following this, participants were tracked for an average of 12.4 years through medical records and death registries to compare sedentary habits with cancer diagnoses and related deaths. The study distinguished between long sedentary periods sitting or lying for at least 30 minutes without significant movement and interrupted sedentary periods regularly standing or moving. Results show that each additional hour spent sitting continuously is associated with an approximate 9% increase in the risk of cancer death.

Conversely, individuals who regularly interrupt their sitting periods have a lower risk of developing and dying from certain cancers. These associations were observed for overall cancer risk, obesity-related cancers, type 2 diabetes-associated cancers, and specific locations such as breast, lung, colon, liver, kidney, and some blood cancers. According to the authors, the human body is not designed for prolonged immobility.

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