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How television affects the risk of colon cancer
Many people spend a large part of their free time sitting in front of the television. Too little exercise and permanent sitting are not good for your health. Doctors have now found that sitting in front of the television and sitting in general contributes to an increase in the risk of colon cancer. This applies even to people under the age of 50.
An investigation by an international team of scientists from Harvard Medical School and Washington University School of Medicine has shown that the considerable amount of time most people sit in front of their TV leads to an increased risk of colon cancer. The experts published the results of their current study in the English-language journal "JNCI Cancer Spectrum".
Data from almost 90,000 women were analyzed for the study
The new study looked at the data from 89,278 American women who attended the Nurses' Health Study II at the University of Michigan. This long-term US health study examined the risk factors for serious chronic diseases in women. The researchers focused particularly on the time the women had spent in front of the television and other sedentary behaviors to investigate a possible connection between a longer sitting time and diagnosed early colon cancer under the age of 50.
Colon cancer risk was increased by up to 70 percent
The results showed that more than an hour of television a day was associated with a 12 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer compared to participants who spent less time watching TV. If the women spent more than two hours a day in front of the television, the risk was increased by up to almost 70 percent, the scientists explain. Findings remained accurate after taking into account the body mass index (BMI) and physical activity of women, and even women with no family history of colorectal cancer showed an increased risk of overtime sitting. The doctors also found that the relationship between sedentary time and rectal cancer was stronger than that of colon cancer.
Younger people are also affected by the risk
Although a sedentary lifestyle is an emerging risk factor for colorectal cancer after the age of 50, its role in the development of colorectal cancer at an early stage has been almost unknown in younger people, the study authors say. The current results are the first to link sedentary behavior patterns to the increased risk of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50. The study can help identify those who are at high risk for colorectal cancer and could therefore benefit more from early screening, explains study author Yin Cao from the Washington University School of Medicine. The fact that these results were independent of BMI and physical activity suggests that sedentary work can be a completely different risk factor for colorectal cancer, the expert adds. In the United States and around the world, the rate of early colon cancer is rising. On the other hand, the rate of colorectal cancer in older people has dropped dramatically, mainly due to cancer screening initiatives. (as)