The Dangers of Prolonged Sitting–Increased Risk for 6 Cancers, Cardiovascular Disease

Less sitting and more frequent aerobic activities such as brisk walking may lower your risk of cancer.

Being sedentary for prolonged periods is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, yet many studies have shown that it increases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality. Prostock-studio/shutter stock

Sedentary lifestyles are becoming more prevalent globally. With the increase in the number of people working from home during the pandemic, some of us are now barely even leaving the house. Many studies have shown that sedentary behavior is closely associated with increased risk of—and lower survival from—six types of cancer, as well as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A sedentary lifestyle refers to sitting or lying down for six or more hours a day (except sleeping), lack of obvious physical movement in daily life, and therefore, low energy consumption. According to an article published by Harvard Medical School, an estimated 67 percent of older adults sit for more than eight hours a day, while only 28 to 34 percent of those aged 65 to 74 are physically active.

Sitting for Long Periods Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Death

A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of death and disease. In 2022, JAMA Cardiology published a study involving a large cohort that analyzed the results of sedentary duration against overall mortality rate and major cardiovascular diseases. Of the 105,677 participants, 58.6 percent were female and the average age was 50.4 years. The average sitting time was 4 hours per day and the median follow-up time was 11.1 years.