Healthy Diet May Mitigate Mortality Risk from Prolonged Sitting
Prolonged sitting increases mortality risk in cancer survivors, but a healthy diet may significantly reduce that risk, according to new population-based research.
Link Between Sedentary Time and Mortality
Researchers analyzed data from 2,734 adult cancer survivors enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2018). Using Cox proportional hazard models, they assessed how sitting duration and dietary quality interacted to influence mortality risk.
Participants who sat for 8 hours or more each day faced notably higher all-cause and noncancer mortality rates. Those with poor diet quality, defined as a Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) score below 60, had the greatest mortality risk. Among this group, prolonged sitting was linked to more than double the likelihood of death from all causes and from cancer specifically.
Dietary Quality Attenuates Mortality Risk
In contrast, survivors who maintained a healthy diet did not show a statistically significant rise in mortality risk, even when sitting for extended periods. Researchers found that qualified dietary quality appeared to buffer the harmful effects of sedentary behavior on longevity.
Clinical Implications for Survivorship Care
These findings suggest that improving diet quality could be an actionable strategy to mitigate lifestyle-related mortality risks among cancer survivors. Encouraging patients to adopt balanced, nutrient-rich eating habits may help counteract unavoidable periods of inactivity, particularly for those with mobility limitations or sedentary work environments.
Reference: Wang G et al. Healthy diet attenuates the association between prolonged sitting and mortality risk among cancer survivors. Nutr J. 2025;24:164.
