University of Glasgow study links continuous sitting to increased cancer risk

A study published in PLOS Medicine suggests that the duration of continuous sitting, rather than just total sedentary time, is significantly linked to increased cancer risks. Researchers from the University of Glasgow analyzed data from over 91,000 participants from the UK Biobank, tracking their activity levels via wearable devices for seven days and monitoring health outcomes over approximately 12 years.

The findings indicate that each additional hour of continuous daily sitting is associated with a 9% increase in the risk of cancer death and a 3% increase in overall cancer risk. Prolonged periods of inactivity were also linked to higher incidences of cancers related to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Conversely, breaking up sitting periods with light physical activity—such as walking, washing dishes, or tidying up—showed protective benefits. Replacing one hour of prolonged sitting with light activity was associated with a 12% reduction in cancer death risk and a 6% reduction in cancer incidence. Lead researcher Frederick Ho noted that while health guidelines often emphasize moderate to intense exercise, these results highlight the importance of light movement to interrupt sedentary periods.