We know that increasing your physical activity at any intensity is linked to a lower risk of early death. And the American Cancer Society Guidelines add that more physical activity is associated with a lower risk for several types of cancer. Now we know cancer survivors who are not physically active do not live as long as those that are physically active.

MedPage Today reported, “Cancer survivors with prolonged daily sitting and little to no physical activity had a far higher chance of premature death than those with more activity. This was true whether no matter the cause of death — whether from their cancer or other causes.

Investigators reported in a prospective study of more than 1,500 survivors who were followed for up to 9 years, that there was a FIVE FOLD increase in risk for premature death from “all causes” or from “cancer-specific mortality” when compared with those who were active IF the cancer survivors reported sitting for more than eight hours per day.

What is shocking to me is this: “More than half (56.8%) of those studied reported absolutely NO leisure-time activity per week, while 15.6% reported insufficient activity (under 150 minutes per week). Only 27.6% were considered active (150 minutes or more of physical activity per week).

One-fourth of those studied reported sitting for over 8 hours per day, while about one-third reported sitting for 6 to 8 hours daily. For the two behaviors combined, 35.8% reported no activity plus sitting for at least 6 hours per day. In all of these groups, the risk of premature death from cancer or other causes was significantly increased.

If you are a cancer survivor (or know someone who is), getting off your butt and moving more can increase both the quality and the quantity of your remaining years.

The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.

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