Research shows that stopping long periods of sedentary lifestyle can reduce the risk of cancer. The study with more than 91,000 UK Biobank participants, published in PLOS Medicine, points to the importance of sedentary behavior patterns.

The researchers tracked physical activity using accelerometers, separating sedentary behavior into prolonged and interrupted, and examined its relationship with cancer mortality.

The study measured sedentary behavior. He defined it as waking activities that involve an energy expenditure of 1.5 or less metabolic equivalents (METs), such as sitting, reclining, or lying down, which accounts for approximately 55% of waking hours.

Key results

The report records that it is unknown whether interrupting long periods of sedentary lifestyle with brief periods of activity provides greater benefits than simply increasing general physical activity. It was also not clarified whether these associations differ according to the degree of obesity.

Implications for public health

These findings suggest that replacing sedentary time with physical activity, even light, could be essential in cancer prevention strategies, highlighting the need for interventions aimed at reducing prolonged sedentary behavior.

However, the need for careful interpretation of the results is emphasized due to methodological limitations, including the observational design and possible confounding by uncontrolled factors.

Practical recommendations to pause a sedentary lifestyle

The most useful thing is to break up long stretches of sitting with short, frequent breaks, rather than waiting to “exercise” only at the end of the day. Practical recommendations include getting up every 30–60 minutes, walking for a few minutes, using stairs, making calls while standing or walking, and taking advantage of short trips to move more.

Easy to apply actions

At home and work

Rule of thumb

A simple way to start is: every hour, 3 minutes of movement. It doesn't have to be intense; The important thing is to cut the continuous sitting time and repeat it several times a day.

When is it more convenient

These breaks are especially important if you spend many hours in front of the computer, study sitting down, work in the office or watch a lot of television. Although they do not replace regular exercise, they do help reduce accumulated sedentary time.

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