New research offers a powerful and accessible message for public health: adding a mere five minutes of moderate-intensity walking to your daily routine could significantly extend your life. A landmark study, analysing data from over 135,000 adults, concludes this small change could slash the risk of death in the general population by an impressive 10 per cent.
The Power of Minimal Movement
The findings, published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, provide hope for even the most inactive individuals. The research indicates that people leading highly sedentary lifestyles, who manage just two minutes of moderate exercise daily, could still see their mortality risk drop by 6 per cent.
The international research team tracked 135,046 adults with an average age of 63 from Norway, Sweden, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Participants wore accelerometers to accurately measure their physical activity levels. At the study's outset, none had evidence of chronic disease or mobility issues.
Reducing Sedentary Time Has Major Impact
The study also quantified the benefits of simply sitting less. It found that reducing daily sitting time by just half an hour could prevent approximately 7 per cent of deaths worldwide. The authors noted this 30-minute shift is 'feasible in a real world setting,' highlighting the profound impact of achievable behavioural goals on population health.
Over an eight-year follow-up period, the analysis showed that for the majority of participants (over 70%) who spent more than eight hours a day sedentary, reducing this inactive time was linked to a progressively lower risk of death. For instance, encouraging those who sat for over 11 hours daily to replace 30 minutes of that time with movement was associated with a risk reduction of around 10 per cent. Increasing that activity to a full hour slashed the risk by a substantial 25 per cent.
A Realistic Approach to Public Health Guidelines
The researchers explained their work builds upon previous studies that often overlooked a critical reality: not everyone can or will meet the standard recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. They also challenged the assumption that the health benefits of becoming active are the same for everyone, regardless of their starting fitness level.
Professor Aiden Doherty, an expert in biomedical informatics at the University of Oxford who was not involved in the study, praised the analysis. 'Healthcare systems are under enormous strain,' he said. 'This paper indicates that up to 10 per cent of all premature deaths might be prevented if everyone were to make small and realistic increases to their moderate-intensity physical activity of five mins a day.'
Dr Brendon Stubbs, an expert in physical activity and mental health, echoed this sentiment, stating the findings offer hope and an inspiring public health message, especially to the least active. 'Even small daily tweaks to activity levels can make a meaningful difference, for instance a quick brisk walk, a few extra flights of stairs, or playing energetically with the (grand)kids,' he advised.
The study did acknowledge limitations, including that its results are largely applicable to people aged 40 and above, and that its observational nature means other factors could partly explain the differences in death rates. Despite the compelling evidence for small changes, experts still endorse the World Health Organisation's existing guideline of 150 minutes of moderate activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, per week.
The research arrives amid growing concern over the health toll of sedentary living. In the UK, where desk-bound work and prolonged sitting are common, physical inactivity is estimated to contribute to thousands of deaths annually. One 2019 assessment linked it to 70,000 yearly deaths, costing the NHS approximately £700 million. Globally, the WHO ranks insufficient physical activity as the fourth leading risk factor for mortality.
