The fear of being hit with cancer and having to fight this potentially deadly condition has prompted deep interests in ways to prevent cancer. Staying physically active seems to help in the war against cancer. The American Cancer Society reported, a new study has found a link between leisure time spent sitting and an increased risk of being hit with specific types of cancers.
According to a new study spending more leisure time sitting around was associated with an increase of total cancer risk in women. This increased risk was specifically seen with breast, ovarian, and multiple myeloma cancers. The increased cancer risk was found to be present even after considering physical activity, BMI, and other factors. In this study there was no association found between sitting time and cancer risk in men.
This association between time sitting and cancer becomes of particular concern due to the increased time spent sitting for many people in the past few decades due to many factors including technological advancements such as computers and video games along with changes in transportation. In this study there was a 10 percent higher risk of cancer in women who spent more leisure time sitting.
Guidelines from the American Cancer Society for nutrition and physical activity recommend decreasing sitting time when it is possible. The researchers have said that in consideration of the
high rate of time which is spent sitting in the United States even a modest positive association with cancer can have dramatic public health implications.
This study has been published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. The researchers investigated leisure time which is spent sitting and site specific cancer incidence. It has been highlighted that time which is spent sitting is distinctly different from getting too little physical activity and may be associated with independent negative effects. The findings in this study support guidelines of the American Cancer Society for cancer prevention for women which suggest decreasing sitting time when possible.
