1 Action Raises 3 Cancer Risks

Over the past few decades, time spent sitting has increased due to several factors, including technological advancements, like computers and video games, and changes in transportation. An abundance of published studies suggest that reduced sitting time may be an important and simple approach to improve overall health.  In that a number of studies posit that increased physical activity may be effective for cancer prevention, Alpa Patel, from the American Cancer Society Epidemiology Research Program (Georgia, USA), and colleagues investigated the role of sitting time in the risk of specific cancers.  The researchers analyzed data collected on 69,260 men and 77,462 women, who were cancer-free and enrolled in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Between 1992 and 2009, 18,555 men and 12,236 women were diagnosed with cancer.  The team found that longer leisure-time spent sitting was associated with a 10% higher risk of cancer in women after adjustment for physical activity, BMI and other factors. Specifically, in women, sitting time was associated with risk of multiple myeloma (RR=1.65), invasive breast cancer (RR=1.10), and ovarian cancer (RR=1.43).  There were no associations between sitting time and site-specific cancers in men.  The study authors warn that: “Longer leisure-time spent sitting was associated with a higher risk of total cancer risk in women, and specifically with multiple myeloma, breast and ovarian cancers,”