Time spent sitting is distinctly different from accumulating too little physical activity and may have independent deleterious effects.
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From cebp.aacrjournals.org
Leisure Sitting Time Linked to Increased Risk of Malignancies in Women
the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:
Women with longer amounts of leisure-time spent sitting have a greater risk of total cancer, while no correlation was found between sitting time and men, according to an article published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Participants in this study included individuals who were initially cancer-free and enrolled in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort (from 1992 to 2009). Of 69,260 men, 18,555 were diagnosed with cancer, compared to 12,236 women diagnosed out of 77,462.
The authors adjusted the data for physical activity, BMI, and other factors—noting that physical activity was independent of sitting time.
Results showed that longer sitting time was associated with malignancy in women (relative risks (RR) = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.17 for >6 hours vs. <3 hours/day), but not in men (RR=1.00; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.05).
Women with greater levels of leisure-time spent sitting were at greater risk for developing site-specific cancers such as multiple myeloma (RR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.54), invasive breast cancer (RR=1.10; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.21), and ovarian cancer (RR=1.43; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.87).
The study suggests further research be conducted regarding the different correlations between men and women. Furthermore, it supports the American Cancer Society’s recommendation to reduce leisure-time spent sitting whenever possible.
