SEDENTARY HABIT INCREASES THE RISK OF CERTAIN CANCERS
Physical inactivity has been linked with diabetes,
obesity, and cardiovascular disease, but it can also increase the risk of
certain cancers, according to a study published June 16 in the JNCI: Journal of the National
Cancer Institute
To assess
the relationship between TV viewing time, recreational sitting time,
occupational sitting time, and total sitting time with the risk of various
cancers, Daniela Schmid, Ph.D., M.Sc., and Michael F. Leitzmann, M.D., Dr.P.H.,
of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of
Regensburg, Germany, conducted a meta-analysis of 43 observational studies,
including over 4 million individuals and 68,936 cancer cases. Data in the
individual studies had been obtained with self-administered questionnaires and
through interviews.
When
the highest levels of sedentary behavior were compared to the lowest, the
researchers found a statistically significantly higher risk for three types of
cancer -- colon, endometrial, and lung. Moreover, the risk increased with each
2-hour increase in sitting time, 8% for colon cancer, 10% for endometrial
cancer, and 6% for lung cancer, although the last was borderline statistically
significant. 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. TV viewing time showed the strongest
relationship with colon and endometrial cancer, possibly, the authors write,
because TV watching is often associated with drinking sweetened beverages, and
eating junk foods.
The
researchers write "That sedentariness has a detrimental impact on cancer
even among physically active persons implies that limiting the time spent
sedentary may play an important role in preventing cancer…."
In
an accompanying editorial, Lin Yang and Graham A. Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., of
the Siteman Cancer Center and Department of Surgery, Washington University
School of Medicine, St. Louis MO, write that these results "…support a
causal relation between sedentary behavior and both colon and endometrial
cancers." They comment that cancer prevention requires good evidence,
political will, and a social strategy to fund and implement prevention programs
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