Does sitting down on sofas give you cancer?

People who spend more time sitting are more at risk of getting cancer than people who don’t, a new study reveals.

We already knew that sitting is linked to diabetes and heart disease, but our sedentary lifestyles are now even more dangerous than we thought.

Scientists looked at thousands of cancer studies and found that the risk for three specific cancers, bowel, endometrial (womb lining) and lung, is much greater when you sit down, like you do in the office or when watching TV.

In the studies, the least amount of time spent sitting was two to three hours. Every two-hour increase in sitting time from this was linked to an eight percent increased risk of bowel cancer and a ten percent increased risk of endometrial cancer.

At least sitting doesn’t increase the risks for other cancers.

But even if you work out regularly, you can’t get rid of the increased risk of bowel, endometrial and lung cancer. Only spending less time on your bottom will help prevent them.

THIS research was carried out as a ‘meta analysis’, as it took data from previous studies to draw new conclusions. Pooled data was taken from 43 studies with more than four million participants, and covered more than 70,000 cancer cases.

“Cutting down on TV viewing and sedentary time is just as important as becoming more active,” said Daniela Schmid, one of the authors of the study.

“For those whose jobs require them to sit at a desk most of the day, we recommend breaking up the time spent sitting by incorporating short bouts of light activity into the daily routine,” she added.

So next time you switch on your screens to watch the World Cup, don’t take a seat – take a stand.