Prolonged sedentary behavior was linked with significantly increased cancer mortality risk.Interrupting sedentary behavior with brief periods of light, moderate, or vigorous physical was associated with reduced cancer risks.The findings suggest that not only the amount of sedentary time but how sedentary time is accumulated may influence cancer risk.
Prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of dying of cancer, a study of more than 90,000 people showed.
Every additional hour of prolonged sedentary behavior per day was linked with a 10% higher hazard of cancer mortality. Replacing an hour of sedentary behavior daily with light physical activity or with 30 minutes of moderate physical activity was associated with reduced cancer mortality risk -- which was 22% lower with an additional 5 minutes of vigorous physical activity.
Similar associations were observed for several specific cancer sites as well, including lung, breast, and oral cancers, and leukemia or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Using objective measurements of physical activity, the study adds to previous evidence by more specifically quantifying the risks of sedentary behavior and the benefits of physical activity, reported Frederick Ho, PhD, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and colleagues in PLoS Medicine.
