Extensive Sedentary behavior impacts post-cancer survival for the worst; JAMA

According to a new study, the combination of extended sitting and lack of physical exercise is quite common and is connected with the highest chances of mortality from all causes and cancer. Sedentary behaviors, particularly extended sitting and a lack of physical exercise, may have an impact on post-cancer survival.

This study was conducted by Chao Cao and team with the objective to look at the independent and combined relationships between daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity and mortality outcomes in cancer survivors.

The findings of this study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association on 1st October, 2021.

This study was a prospective cohort of a nationally representative sample of cancer survivors aged 40 years or older (n = 1535; weighted population, 14 002 666) from the 2007 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From the date of their interview and physical examination until December 31, 2015, participants were connected to mortality data. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to collect self-reported data on daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Data analysis was carried out between January 1 and May 1, 2021. The primary findings of this study were all-cause, cancer-specific, and noncancer mortality.

The key results of this study were:

1. Among 1535 cancer survivors, 950 (56.8%) reported LTPA of 0 minutes per week (min/wk) or less during the previous week (inactive); 226 (15.6%) reported LTPA of less than 150 min/wk (insufficiently active); 359 (27.6%) reported LTPA of 150 min/wk or more (active); 553 (35.4%) reported sitting for 6 to 8 hours per day (h/d); and 328 (24.9 Notably, 574 (35.8%) cancer survivors reported no LTPA when sitting for more than 6 hours each day.

2. There were 293 fatalities over the up to 9-year follow-up period. When compared to inactivity, being physically active was related with lower chances of all-cause and cancer-specific death in multivariable models.

3. Sitting for more than 8 hours per day was related with an increased risk of all-cause and cancer-specific death when compared to sitting for fewer than 4 hours per day.

4. In the combined analysis, prolonged sitting was linked to an increased risk of mortality among cancer survivors who were not physically active enough.

5. In particular, sedentary and inadequately active survivors who sat for more than 8 hours per day had the greatest overall and cancer-specific death rates.

In conclusion, this study points out the dreadful impact of sedentary life especially in the US population and there is an urgent need to incorporate an active life to stay safe from such implications.

Reference:

Cao C, Friedenreich CM, Yang L. Association of Daily Sitting Time and Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Survival Among US Cancer Survivors. JAMA Oncol. Published online January 06, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6590