Occupational Hazard: Sitting increases your risk of cancer

If you’re female, you might want to consider a more physically active career to avoid a variety of cancers.
 
A meta-analysis of thousands of Europeans across seven different groups (five in England and two in Scotland) found that sitting occupations were linked to a greater risk of cancer mortality – but for women only, not for men. Another study in the Netherlands included nearly 130,000 people drew the same conclusion.

It is unclear how sitting can be linked to a greater risk for cancer, especially colon cancer. Yet, studies have suggested that sitting occupations may reduce lipoprotein lipase activity by up to 90% and significantly slow insulin action. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a gene that is responsible for producing an enzyme that plays a critical role in transporting and breaking down fats which then is used for energy or stored. Retarded insulin secretion can lessen the effects of metabolism. Both actions have been linked to obesity and related diseases.

Furthermore, sedentary behaviors and cancer may also involve adiposity (the state of being fat), inflammation (swelling), and sex-hormone related pathways (efficient use of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone). All of these elements can cause obesity and related health issues – including cancer.

It comes down to the same theme we’re all heard over and over: get moving to prevent illness and disease.

 If you work in a sitting occupation, consider adding the following to your daily routine as suggested by the Workplace Health and Safety sector of the Attorney General’s office in Queensland (Australia):

1. Use a height adjustable desk so that you can work standing or sitting

2. Move your printer, scanner and other office equipment so that you have to walk to them to use them

3. Standing during phone calls

4. Walk to your colleagues’ desks; don’t phone or email them

5. Hold standing or walking meetings

6. Eat lunch or snacks away from your desk

7. Take breaks regularly to stand, stretch or walk for a few minutes

8. Use the stairs, not the elevator

9. Walk during your lunchtime or breaks

10. Walk or bicycle to work, or park further away from the office and walk the rest of the way

 

Regardless of what you do, the point is to move more. It can reduce your risk of cancer.

 

Of interest, it is unclear why women who sit for their jobs are at a higher risk for cancers than men. It has been suggested that men who work in sedentary occupations are more likely to participate in physical activity outside the office than are women. There have been studies that suggest women who begin exercising before puberty can reduce their risk of cancers even if they end up with a sedentary occupation.

Research is very clear about one thing: physical activity in your daily routine can prevent diseases and keep you healthy.

 

Research used for this article:

Schonfeld, S. J., Neta, G., Sturgis, E. M., Pfeiffer, R. M., Hutchinson, A. A., Xu, L., Wheeler, W., Guenel, P., Rajaraman, P., de Bathaire, F., Ron, E., Tucker, M. A., Chanock, S. J., Siqurdson, A. J., and Brenner, A. V. (2012). Common genetic variants in sex hormone pathway genes and papillary thyroid cancer risk. Thyroid, 22(2), 151-156.

Simons, C., Hughes, L., van Engeland, M., Goldbohm, A., van den Brandt, P., and Weijenberg, M. (2013). Physical activity, occupational sitting time, and colorectal cancer risk in the Netherlands cohort study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 177(6), 514-530.

Stamatakis, E., Chau, J., Pedisic, Z., Bauman, A., Macniven, R., Coombs, N., and Hamer, M. (2013). Are sitting occupations associated with increased all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality risk? A pooled analysis of seven British population cohorts. PLoS One, 8(9), 1-10.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. (n.d.). Sedentary work – sit less and move more in your work day. Retrieved from http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/160089/sedentary-work-factsheet-ekka.pdf.