Staying in bed and scrolling on your phone often sounds like a tempting way to spend the day, but being a chronic couch potato may actually invite a higher cancer risk. On the other hand, even brief periods of activity in place of sleeping or watching TV may reduce cancer risk later in life.

These are the findings of a new study published in BMC Medicine, which tracked health data from nearly 60,000 people to see how sleep, sedentary behavior, and physical activity all play a role in cancer risk. The study came to a simple, yet indispensable conclusion: the more people moved, the lower their risk of cancer.

“Based on theoretical modeling, our study showed even losing two to three minutes per day of vigorous activity, such as running for a bus, and replacing it with sitting down, sleep, or light activity increased their cancer risk,” said lead author John Mitchell, a senior research fellow in physical activity epidemiology at University College London, in a statement.

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The Link Between Movement and Cancer Risk

Exercising provides short-term gratification in many ways, but it also proves to be beneficial in the long haul. Staying active, for example, can help lower the risk for several types of cancer, including breast, prostate, colon, endometrium, and possible pancreatic cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

The new study, however, also emphasized the importance of factoring in sleep and sedentary behavior in addition to physical activity. These factors come together to form a continuum that researchers call the 24-hour daily movement spectrum.

The study analyzed the records of 59,218 people from the UK Biobank, a database that contains health information from over half a million volunteers. Researchers specifically used data from the UK Biobank’s wrist accelerometry sub-study, in which participants’ movement was monitored for 7 consecutive days through an accelerometer device they wore on their wrists.

Within this group, 2,385 cancers occurred in an 8-year period following the initial accelerometer sub-study.

Replacing Sedentary Behaviors

With the accelerometer data, the researchers involved with the new study were able to make a connection between 24-hour movement behaviors and cancer risk.

They found that replacing 15 minutes of sleep or sedentary behavior with 15 minutes of movement was each linked with a 2 percent reduced risk of cancer.

In contrast, replacing 30 minutes of movement for 30 minutes of sedentary behavior increased cancer risk by 8 percent; replacing this active behavior with 30 minutes of sleep increased cancer risk by 7 percent.

The greatest reductions in cancer risk came with doing vigorous physical activity — movement that elevates your heart rate and makes you sweat — instead of sleeping or sitting around; just three minutes of vigorous physical activity in place of lower intensities of physical activity (light and moderate) also reduced cancer risk.

Getting Off the Couch

The researchers write that there are several hypothesized mechanisms that could explain why physical activity lowers cancer risk. One is that physical activity reduces chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. It also helps keep weight in control, a crucial factor considering being overweight or obese is associated with an estimated 14 to 20 percent of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.

One of the most significant perks of physical activity is that, quite simply, it helps break up periods of sedentary behavior, which can contribute to cancer risk by increasing metabolic imbalances.

So, how much exercise should you be getting? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week for adults.

Activities that require moderate effort include walking fast, doing water aerobics, and pushing a lawn mower, while those that require vigorous effort include jogging or running, swimming laps, and riding a bike fast or on hills.

While exercising won’t guarantee a cancer-free future, staying active — rather than sitting on the couch all day long — could make all the difference.

“The take-home message is that for people already leading physically active lives, it’s really important to maintain that level of activity as you get older,” said Mitchell.

This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.

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Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

• This article references information from the American Cancer Society: How Exercise Can Lower Cancer Risk
• This article references information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: What Counts as Physical Activity for Adults