Prolonged Sedentary Behavior Linked to Risk for Cancer Death

TUESDAY, July 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Prolonged sedentary behavior (SB) is associated with cancer mortality, according to a study published online July 2 in PLOS Medicine.

Ziyi Zhou, Ph.D., from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, and colleagues explored differences between interrupted and prolonged SB in relation to a range of cancer outcomes. The analysis included 91,292 U.K. Biobank participants with valid accelerometer data followed for a median 12.38 years.

The researchers found that when adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, each additional hour of prolonged SB was associated with a higher risk for overall cancer mortality (hazard ratio_1hour = 1.09).  If one hour per day of prolonged SB was replaced with light physical activity, overall cancer mortality could be lowered by 12 percent. If 30 minutes per day of prolonged SB was replaced with moderate physical activity, overall cancer mortality could be cut by 8 percent.

“Current health guidelines focus heavily on moderate or vigorous exercise, but our findings show that light movement shouldn”t be ignored,” the authors write. “Moving forward, clinical trials will help us move beyond blanket advice and develop personalized strategies for breaking up sitting time.”

Abstract/Full Text