Sedentary lifestyle has been shown to be independently associated with an increase risk of developing more than ten types of cancer, and a recent study published in JAMA Oncology, it can also increase your risk of dying from cancer.

Drawing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers identified 1,535 people who survived cancer and over the age of 40.

The survey revealed over half (56.8%) of the subjects reported zero minutes per week of leisure time physical activity. Approximately two-thirds (35.4%) reported sitting 6 to 8 hours per day, and 25% reported sitting for more than 8 hours per day. Additionally, a third of those surveyed (35.8%), reported concurrent of sitting more than 6 hours per day with zero leisure time physical activity per day.

Researchers found an increase association between being insufficiently active and risk of dying from cancer, non-cancer, and all causes. People who were insufficiently active or inactive and sat for more than 8 hours per day were at a five-fold increased risk; four-fold increase risk for those who sat 6 hrs.

This association of mortality and inactivity did not hold for those who had leisure time physical activity of 150 minutes or more.

Healthy behaviors is healthy behaviors whether or not one has cancer. Our lazy, sedentary lifestyle with the lack of physical activity in our leisure time is a death wish. Don’t wait till you get cancer to try exercise it away either. Exercise and findings physical things to do is the easiest and cheapest thing we can do to improve our health. Be men, get off your couch.

C Cao et al. Association of daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity with survival among US cancer survivors. JAMA Oncology 2022. Online first 01/06/2022. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6590