More than 7 percent of U.S. cancer cases are attributable to excess body weight, the American Cancer Society found. The report, in JAMA Oncology, found that from 2011 to 2015, among people 30 and older, 4.7 percent of cancers in men and 9.6 percent of those in women were attributable to excess weight — 37,670 cancers in men, and 74,690 in women every year. The highest rates of weight-associated cancer are in the South, the Midwest, Alaska and Washington D.C.; the lowest were in the Mountain States, New England and Hawaii.

Standing burns fewer calories than thought

A new study found that people burn more calories when they stand than when sitting — but the increase is smaller than many of us might hope.

Many previous experiments have involved somewhat exaggerated behaviors, such as absolute stillness while sitting and walking while upright.

For the new study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, scientists at the University of Bath in England and Westmont College in California decided to ask people to sit and stand more naturally. The differences in calories burned were noticeable — but small. As a group, the volunteers burned about 3 percent more calories when sitting compared to lying down and about 12 percent more standing compared to sitting.

The researchers estimated that most people could expect to burn about 9 additional calories if they stood for an hour instead of sitting and, if they doubled that standing time to two hours a day, would burn about 130 extra calories over the course of a week.

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