BDI-International Magazine - Issue-4-Yumpu

New Studies Show
Link Between Cancer
and Prolonged Sitting
Jacqueline Samaroo | Medical Breakthroughs & Health Tips
Time to add another one to the
ever-increasing list of things
that can cause cancer: prolonged
sitting. As surprising as this may seem,
several studies in recent years have
led to the conclusion that prolonged
sitting significantly increases the risk
of certain types of cancer. Specifically,
researchers were able to accurately
determine that there was a higher
risk of endometrial cancer and colon
cancer.
The Facts and Hard Truths About Sitting
Time and Cancer
When looking specifically at the
United States, 2.7 per 100 women
get endometrial cancer during their
lifetime, while 4.8 per 100 people get
colon cancer. According to findings
published in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, as the average daily
sitting time of individuals increased, so
too did their risk of both colon cancer
and endometrial cancer. When it came
to average daily sitting time, with every
2-hour increase there was an average
8 percent increase in an individual’s
risk of colon cancer. Likewise, when
specifically talking about women and
endometrial cancer, with every 2-hour
increase in average daily sitting time,
there was a 10 percent increase in the
risk of endometrial cancer.
The findings also validated previous
theories which highlighted the distinct
difference between physical inactivity
and sedentary behavior. That is, how
active the participants of the study
were when they were not sitting (or not
exhibiting other sedentary behaviors)
did not affect the findings.
“The effect also seemed to be
independent of physical activity,
suggesting that large amounts of time
spent sitting can still be detrimental
to those who are otherwise physically
active.”
Daniela Schmid, Ph.D., M.Sc.,
University of Regensburg
The Active Lifestyle Myth:
Understanding Sedentary Behavior and
Physical Inactivity
It should go without saying that
an active lifestyle is always better.
When describing “prolonged sitting”,
researchers were quick to highlight the
difference between two terms that were
often used interchangeably: sedentary
behavior and physical inactivity. There
is no rule that says that a so-called active
lifestyle and sedentary behavior have to
be mutually exclusive. An example of a
person that has an active lifestyle would
be someone who goes running on the
weekend and also goes to the gym three
or four times a week. A prime example
of a person that exhibits sedentary
behavior would be someone that goes
to work and sits at their desk for eight
hours each day and then spends even
more hours sitting on the couch when
they get home. The same individual can
definitely embody these two examples
at the same time. To explain it simply,
whenever a person is sitting or lying
down, they are exhibiting sedentary
behavior. This is one of the main reasons
why it is often recommended that parents
limit the “screen time” of their children.
It is because video game playing,
computer and smartphone use, and TV
viewing – which are all prime examples
of “screen time” – are also some of the
most common sedentary behaviors.
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