Could your chair be doing more harm than you think?
A new long-term study suggests that sitting still for more than 30 minutes at a stretch may increase the risk of dying from cancer.
The encouraging part? You don’t need an intense workout to fight back.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow tracked more than 91,000 adults for around 12 years.
The longer people remained inactive without a break, the higher their cancer-related risk became.
In fact, each extra hour of uninterrupted sitting was linked to a 10% increase in the risk of cancer death.
Lead researcher Dr. Frederick Ho said, “Sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time is particularly linked to a higher risk of cancer.
Experts Urge People to Move More
The good news is that breaking up your sitting time with something as simple as a short walk could be protective.”
Surprisingly, even light activities such as ironing, washing dishes, or strolling around the house appeared to make a difference.
Replacing one hour of sitting with light movement was linked to a 12% lower risk.
Just five minutes of vigorous activity each day showed even greater benefits.
Experts caution that the study cannot prove cause and effect, but the message is simple: your body was built to move.
So the next time you’ve been sitting for half an hour, maybe that tea break is doing more than just refreshing your mind.
