Diurnal timing of physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in the UK Biobank

• Published in: BMC medicine 2024-09, Vol.22 (1), p.399-11, Article 399
• Main Authors: Stein, Michael J, Baurecht, Hansjörg, Bohmann, Patricia, Fervers, Béatrice, Fontvieille, Emma, Freisling, Heinz, Friedenreich, Christine M, Konzok, Julian, Peruchet-Noray, Laia, Sedlmeier, Anja M, Leitzmann, Michael F, Weber, Andrea
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accelerometers; Accelerometry; Activity patterns; Adult; Aged; Biobanks; Biological Specimen Banks; Body mass index; Cancer; Circadian Rhythm - physiology; Circadian rhythms; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Colorectal Neoplasms - epidemiology; Colorectal Neoplasms - prevention & control; Disease; Diurnal; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Female; Health aspects; Health risks; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Physical activity; Physical activity patterns; Physiological aspects; Prevention; Principal components analysis; Raw accelerometry; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Risk reduction; Sensitivity analysis; Shift work; Skin cancer; Smoking; Statistical analysis; Statistical models; Time Factors; Time series; UK Biobank; United Kingdom - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1741-7015; 1741-7015
• DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03632-4

Physical activity reduces colorectal cancer risk, yet the diurnal timing of physical activity in colorectal cancer etiology remains unclear. This study used 24-h accelerometry time series from UK Biobank participants aged 42 to 79 years to derive circadian physical activity patterns using functional principal component analysis. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine associations with colorectal cancer risk. Among 86,252 participants (56% women), 529 colorectal cancer cases occurred during a median 5.3-year follow-up. We identified four physical activity patterns that explained almost 100% of the data variability during the day. A pattern of continuous day-long activity was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.89-0.99). A second pattern of late-day activity was suggestively inversely related to risk (HR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.85-1.02). A third pattern of early- plus late-day activity was associated with decreased risk (HR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.80-0.99). A fourth pattern of mid-day plus night-time activity showed no relation (HR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.88-1.19). Our results were consistent across various sensitivity analyses, including the restriction to never smokers, the exclusion of the first 2 years of follow-up, and the adjustment for shift work. A pattern of early- plus late-day activity is related to reduced colorectal cancer risk, beyond the benefits of overall activity. Further research is needed to confirm the role of activity timing in colorectal cancer prevention.