Study: Prolonged Sitting Could Lead To Colon Cancer

By Medical Editor Dr. Brian McDonough

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's known that if you exercise you have reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. But, according to a report in the American Association For Cancer Research, if you sit a great deal of the day and you're sedentary, you have a greater risk of developing colon cancer down the road, even if you do exercise. And the more you sit, the greater the problems.

The study looked at people who had a history of polyps and followed them for a number of years. It found that those who were in sitting positions, whether they were on a computer, reading, writing, or doing other things 12 hours a day were at a much greater risk of developing problems than those who sat seven hours a day.

The idea here is that you should exercise on a regular basis, but also, during the day, get up and move around and avoid remaining in a sedentary position.