Move More, Sit Less for a Longer Life, Study Says
March 24, 2022
On the other hand, new research shows that physical activity reduces the risk of early death. What is “disturbing” is that so many cancer survivors are sedentary, say, Chao Cao and Lin Yang, Ph.D. from Alberta Health Services in Calgary, Canada, who worked on the study.
The American Cancer Society recommends that cancer survivors follow the same physical activity guidelines as the general population. That goal is 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week (or a combination).
“Achieving or exceeding the upper limit of 300 minutes is ideal,” Cao and Lin said.
About 16% were “not sufficiently” active or exercised for less than 150 minutes a week.
Digging deeper, the researchers found that more than a third of cancer survivors sit for 6 to 8 hours each day, and a quarter reported sitting more than 8 hours a day.
Over nine years, 293 cancer survivors died: 114 from cancer, 41 from heart disease, and 138 from other causes.
According to a study carried out in JAMA Oncology.
Compared to cancer survivors who sat less than 4 hours a day, cancer survivors who sat more than 8 hours a day had nearly twice the risk of dying from any cause and more than twice the risk of dying from cancer. Times higher.
Cancer survivors who sat more than 8 hours a day and were inactive or underactive had a five times greater risk of dying from any cause or cancer.
“Be active and sit less, move more often,” advised Cao and Yang. “Avoiding prolonged sitting is necessary for most cancer survivors to reduce the risk of excessive mortality.”
