Spending more hours of the day sitting in the office or watching TV can increase the risk of cancer by up to 66 percent, a study published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute said.

Even if one is physically active - goes to the gym, jogs every morning, or works out regularly - but spend more hours on the couch or chair watching TV or working on a computer, the risk remains higher, the study showed.

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Researchers reviewed 43 studies where volunteers where asked about their daily routines and their cancer incidents. Scientists discovered those who spent more hours of the day sitting have higher risk of developing certain types of cancer than those who were not as sedentary.

Watching TV was considered as the having the highest link to cancer. Researchers said spending too much time on the couch watching TV increases the risk of colon cancer by 54 percent and endometrial cancer by 66 percent.

The authors of the published study pointed out that TV viewing offers higher rates of cancer risk because TV viewers tend to eat more unhealthy processed snack foods and drink more sodas.

The study showed that volunteers who spent an additional two hours a day sitting are 8 percent more likely to develop colon cancer and 10 percent more at risk of developing endometrial cancer.

Researchers, however, did not find a direct link between sitting for hours a day and developing other types of cancer such as breast, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and prostate.

Washington University School of Medicine's Dr. Graham Colditz said there is a huge difference between being physically active and being sedentary as he stressed that just being active is not enough to fight cancer.

"It is also important to sit less," Colditz, who wrote the editorial that accompanied the recent study, said.

One of the study authors suggested that people who are required at work to sit at a desk most of the day should try breaking up the time spent sitting by going out for a short walk or by performing light activities that do not require sitting.

TagsCancer, Cancer Risks, Sitting Causes Cancer, TV Causes Cancer, Sedentary Life, Sedentary, Cancer Causes