Sitting still could kill you.
A comprehensive study on the lifestyles of 8,000 adults has revealed that those who lead the most sedentary lives have an 82% higher risk of death by cancer, according to researchers at University of Texas.
“This is the first study that definitively shows a strong association between not moving and cancer death,” said Dr. Susan Gilchrist, associate professor of clinical cancer prevention at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at UT and lead author on the study.
The research, published Thursday in JAMA Oncology, concludes that individuals who swap 30 minutes of sitting time with physical activity can lower that risk.
“Our findings reinforce that it’s important to sit less and move more,” said Gilchrist in a statement to CNN.
Even small amounts of movement can make a positive difference, she explains.
“Conversations with my patients always begin with why they don’t have time to exercise,” said Gilchrist. “I tell them to consider standing up for 5 minutes every hour at work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It might not sound like a lot, but this study tells us even light activity has cancer survival benefits.”
Study participants, all adults over the age of 45, wore a tracking device, called an accelerometer, for one week at a time over a five-year period between 2009 and 2013. Of the 8,000 individuals included, those who lazed around too much had an 82% higher risk of dying from any cancer compared to those who sat down the least during waking hours, even after accounting for age, sex and health issues.
However, those who set 30 minutes aside for light exercise, such as walking, instead of sitting were able to reduce their risk by 8%. Those who took on moderate activity, such as bike-riding, gardening or tennis, saw an even greatest risk reduction — by 31%.
Said Gilchrist, “Our next step is to investigate how objectively measured sedentary behavior impacts site-specific cancer incidence and if gender and race play a role.”
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