Can Sitting Too Long Increase Your Cancer Risk?
You spend all day sitting at a desk. Then, you plop down on the couch to relax, watch TV, read a book or play computer games. Maybe you sit at the dinner table for a while, too.
If you’re like many Americans, you’ll spend more than eight hours of your day seated. But did you know that sitting for long, uninterrupted stretches can put your health at risk — even if you exercise regularly?
“There is some evidence that indicates spending extended periods of time seated increases your risk of developing colorectal, endometrial, and lung cancers,” says Scherezade Mama, Dr.PH, a researcher in Cancer Prevention. It also raises your risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death. “That’s why you might have heard people say, ‘Sitting is the new smoking,’” she notes.
Fortunately, the solution is simple: break up long periods of sitting with small breaks of activity.
