WORKING AT A desk for more than a decade more than doubles the risk of developing a major type of bowel cancer, according to new research.

The research showed that even office workers who regularly exercised in their time off were just as likely to suffer the ill-effects of a sedentary desk job. Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the study group from University of Western Australia said: “Even vigorous, recreational physical activity did not modify the effect of sedentary work.”

The results showed that people who spend more than ten years sitting at a desk are 94 per cent more likely to develop a tumour in their bowel. The same people were also 44 per cent more likely to develop rectum cancer, the Telegraph reports.

It is thought that spending long periods of time sitting causes an increase in blood sugar levels and has a damaging effect on the production of insulin. Both factors have been linked to bowel cancer.

The report stated: “We found those who spent the most time in sedentary work had a risk of distal colon cancer that was twice that of those who spent the most time in a job requiring light activity… The findings have occupational health implications, given that advances in technology have led to increasing amounts of sedentary behaviour at work.”

Other lifestyle factors linked to bowel cancers include a high-fat diet, consuming red meat, drinking a lot of alcohol, and not exercising enough.