Sedentary Archives - Virus Reports

A new study suggests that the total amount of time that people spend sitting is associated with a higher risk of death from cancer. Replacing some of this sedentary time with light physical activity appears to reduce the risk.

Woman walking dog along the beach — Reducing the amount of time spent sitting may reduce the risk of death from cancer.

Getting regular physical activity is a proven way for people to lower their chance of developing cancer and dying from it.

The American Cancer Society recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week.

However, research suggests that fewer than one-quarter of adults in the United States actually achieve this.

A more attainable goal may be to reduce the amount of time that we spend sitting.

An analysis of previous studies linked sedentary behavior to higher cardiovascular and cancer mortality. However, all these studies relied on people’s own reports of how much time they spent sitting.

The new study, by scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, drew on the data of 8,002 adults aged 45 years and older who joined the ongoing REGARDS study between 2003 and 2007.

As part of that study, the researchers strapped accelerometers to participants’ hips to provide an objective measure of their activity levels over a period of 7 days.

In the 5 years after this, 268 participants (3.3%) died of cancer.

The researchers found that participants with the greatest total sedentary time had a 52% increased risk of dying from cancer compared with those who had the least sedentary time. However, there was notable uncertainty as to the exact size of the effect, with the best estimate ranging from a 1% to a 127% increased risk.

Participants with the longest bouts of uninterrupted sedentary behavior had a 36% higher risk of cancer mortality compared with those with the shortest.

The researchers adjusted both results to account for other variables that might have affected cancer mortality, including the participants’:

overall physical activity levels
age
smoking status
alcohol consumption habits
body mass index (BMI)
preexisting conditions

To get an insight into the potential benefits of becoming less sedentary, the researchers modeled the effects of replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time per day with physical activity.

For moderate-to-vigorous exercise, such as cycling, this led to a 31% lower risk of dying from cancer. For light exercise, such as walking, this led to an 8% lower risk.

The researchers have now published these findings in JAMA Oncology.

“Conversations with my patients always begin with why they don’t have time to exercise,” says Dr. Susan Gilchrist, who led the study.

“I tell them to consider standing up for 5 minutes every hour at work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It might not sound like a lot, but this study tells us even light activity has cancer survival benefits.”

The results support the idea that persuading people to reduce their sedentary behavior, rather than just exercise more, could be an effective alternative way to reduce cancer deaths.

“Our findings reinforce that it’s important to ‘sit less and move more’ and that incorporating 30 minutes of movement into your daily life can help reduce your risk of death from cancer,” says Dr. Gilchrist.

In their paper, the authors conclude, “To mitigate the risks incurred from sedentary behavior, our results suggest that replacing sedentary time with either [light physical activity or moderate-to-vigorous activity] is associated with a lower cancer mortality risk.”

“These findings add to growing evidence in cancer research on the importance of reducing sedentary behavior and support the public health message that adults should sit less and move more to promote health and longevity.”

They also acknowledge that their work had some limitations. For example, they collected information about the participants’ other cancer mortality risk factors at the start of the REGARDS study. This took place 6 years before the researchers measured the participants’ activity levels.

During this time, their cancer mortality risk could have changed to some extent. For example, this would be the case if they started or quit smoking.

In addition, the study was unable to break down the risks of sedentary behavior according to the type of cancer.

This is important because previous research using self-reported activity levels suggests that sedentary behavior affects the risk of some cancers more than others.

“Our next step is to investigate how objectively measured sedentary behavior impacts site-specific cancer incidence and if gender and race play a role,” concludes Dr. Gilchrist.

A study finds that going to bed or doing light tasks around the house helps your mood more than staying on the couch.

couple sitting on a couch looking at computers and phones — New research suggests that replacing sedentary screen time with other activities may improve mood and body mass index.

There is plenty of evidence that a sedentary lifestyle is less conducive to good health than a physically active one.

Meanwhile, SARS-CoV-2 and lockdowns have made it more difficult for many people to stay active or take up exercise.

Some of the current situation has to do with many of us working at home. Some of it, however, is optional, such as the hours we willingly allocate to TV binge-watching.

A new study suggests better and perhaps surprising ways to spend our spare time — that might benefit our health, as well.

The research appears now in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Moving from the couch to the bed, and to sleep, is more refreshing than spending hours sitting in front of a screen — and the same is true of doing light housework, the study suggests.

The findings arrive at a useful time for those struggling to feel good during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

Lead author Jacob Meyer of Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio, says, “With everything happening right now, this is one thing we can control or manage, and it has the potential to help our mental health.”

According to the study’s authors, previous research has shown that adults in the United States typically spend 75% of their waking hours being sedentary, including 90% of their leisure time.

Even active adults have seen their activity levels drop by 32% in lockdown, according to preliminary data the researchers released in May.

During quarantine, and after a day’s work, we may find ourselves in search of restorative activity within our four walls, and immersion in online entertainment may seem a reasonable form of escape.

The new OSU study proposes, however, that there are better options that people can easily work into their quarantine schedules.

“It may be easier for people to change their behavior if they feel it’s doable and doesn’t require a major change,” according to Meyer.

The first of the study’s conclusions is that people might do themselves a favor to turn off the TV and simply go to bed for the night.

The researchers correlated getting more sleep with feeling less stressed, being in a better mood, and even having a lower body mass index (BMI).

They also associate a lasting reduction in BMI, as well as improved mood, with some light activity performed around the home.

While previous studies — and this one — document the value of moderate-to-high levels of activity, Meyer and his colleagues see real benefits even from less demanding activities, such as walking around as people talk on their phones, or standing as they prepare dinner.

“People may not even think about some of these activities as physical activity,” Meyer says.

However, they do more for you than merely being sedentary, the researcher maintains.

“Light activity is much lower intensity than going to the gym or walking to work,” he argues, “but taking these steps to break up long periods of sitting may have an impact.”

The OSU study analyzed data from the 2010–2015 Energy Balance Study at the University of South Carolina. It used 423 participants ranging from 21 to 35 years of age, with BMI values of 20–35. Each individual received $500 for taking part in the study.

To accurately track participants’ activity levels, the researchers gave each a SenseWear armband, which is an activity tracking device, to avoid inaccuracies that could result from self-reporting.

Each participant was monitored for 10 consecutive days for 24 hours a day, except during water-based activities, such as bathing or swimming.

Individuals logged any periods in which they were not wearing their armbands, as well as their activities at those times. A follow-up exam a year after the study revealed the lasting benefits of replacing time spent sedentary with light exercise.

Participants’ moods were self-reported using the Profile of Mood States. Cohen’s 10-item Perceived Stress Scale measured their perception of stress. Three height and weight measurements, on average, were taken for each individual to determine their BMI.

The study associated prolonged periods of sedentary behavior with poorer health and mood and moderate-to-high levels of physical activity with the greatest health and mood benefit.

However, it also showed that light exercise and sleep have value, and the researchers express some surprise at the positive effect of light exercise, and in particular, its long lasting effect.

So, even sleep may be better than sitting around, the implication being that if you plan to be sitting around doing nothing, you might as well go all the way and get some sleep.