Sitting For More Than 30 Minutes At a Time Linked To Higher Risk of Cancer Death
- Reference: 0184278174
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/07/02/2116205/sitting-for-more-than-30-minutes-at-a-time-linked-to-higher-risk-of-cancer-death
- Source link:
> Researchers who tracked more than 90,000 people over a decade found that sitting or lying down while awake for more than 30 minutes in one period each day was [1]associated with an increased risk of cancer death . The risk increases for every additional hour of continuous inactivity, the findings suggest. However, the researchers also found breaking up periods of sedentary behavior longer than 30 minutes with bursts of physical activity could help reduce the risk. Getting up every half-hour, even for a short walk around the office, could do wonders for your health, they said.
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> [...] The findings, [2]published in Plos Medicine , focused on the health effects of prolonged sedentary behavior on a daily basis. [...] The team analyzed data from wearable devices worn by more than 91,000 UK Biobank participants, who were followed for an average of 12 years. The findings suggest prolonged inactivity lasting more than 30 minutes was associated with cancer risks. Each additional hour of prolonged inactivity every day was associated with a 10% increase in risk of cancer death. However, replacing long spells of inactivity with movement appeared to reduce that risk. Substituting one hour of sedentary behavior each day with light physical activity, such as ironing or washing up, was associated with a 12% lower risk of cancer death.
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> Replacing 30 minutes of inactivity each day with 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as walking at an average pace, was associated with an 8% lower risk. The risk was 22% lower when five minutes of inactivity was replaced with five minutes of vigorous physical activity each day, the study suggested. There were limitations to the research, including the fact that the researchers performed a statistical analysis of an observational study, so could not prove causation.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/02/sitting-minutes-cancer-death-risk-study
[2] https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004767
11+ hours for the win (Score:3)
> Each additional hour of prolonged inactivity every day was associated with a 10% increase in risk of cancer death
Cancer, please kill me quickly.
Standing Desks (Score:2)
Everytime I see the subject of standing desks brought up here (among other places), I see droves of commenters come out of the woodwork to announce that "standing is actually worse for you than sitting". Well, this is exactly why I bought a standing desk; not so that I can stand for 8 hours instead of sit, but so that I can switch between the two frequently. Add to that a cheap under-desk walking pad, and I can get a surprising amount of movement while hard at work.
That being said, I am still very lucky
Is that because they didn't die of something else? (Score:2)
No white collar worker really has the option of moving ever 30 minutes or less. Tradespeople are on their feet all the time. I'll wager their life expectancy isn't that much higher. Is this because sitting 30 min or more causes cancer?....or just that everyone who has a more active life typically falls into the high stress group (people in the trades/retail/service who live much tougher lives) that dies younger from a more traditional killer like heart disease or diabetes...or maybe a few niche jobs like
I guess I'm already dead? (Score:2)
When I was young, I thought older people who shrugged these kinds of things off with "when it's my time, it's my time" were irrational. I'm past the half-way mark now and I get it.
I am not going to spend my life on min/maxing my health, because no matter what I do, I'm going to die. If I exercise, first I'm spending my time on something I dislike, second I will likely end up with joint issues and instead of cancer I'll just be in chronic pain.
There are limits, and I'm sure I'm making these choices at lea
Well, then.... (Score:2)
... that explains the massive spike in cancer deaths in 2020.
Wait... what?
Just move a bit frequently, even standing up! (Score:1)
We didn't evolve to sit around all day. Just move regularly. Set a timer, that works fine.
Take the stairs, don't take the lift. Even small amounts make a big difference.
You don't have to run for hours, or move into the gym. Thank God!
Cause and effect. (Score:2)
focused on the health effects of prolonged sedentary behavior on a daily basis.
If I had cancer, my behavior might change to sitting around more than exercising. Correlation is not causation.
wait, what? (Score:4, Interesting)
What control group did they use, and where did they find people to study that don't sleep at night?
Re: (Score:2)
TFA gave me cancer.