Just five extra minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day, such as brisk walking, could reduce the risk of premature death by an estimated 10%, according to a new study of 135,000 people from the UK, US, Norway and Sweden. The research, led by the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and published in The Lancet, also found that reducing daily sedentary time by 30 minutes was associated with a 7% reduction in all deaths.
The study highlights the potential population-wide benefits of even minor lifestyle changes. The greatest impact was observed among the least active 20% of the population, where adding just five minutes of activity daily yielded the largest reduction in mortality risk. The authors stressed that while the findings should not be used as individual exercise recommendations, they demonstrate the vast benefits for populations as a whole.
Professor Aiden Doherty of the University of Oxford called the analysis “excellent” and “a leap forward” from existing evidence. He noted that up to 10% of all premature deaths might be prevented if everyone made small, realistic increases to their moderate-intensity physical activity. Daniel Bailey, a reader at Brunel University of London, described the findings as “really promising,” adding that simple activities like brisk walking, housework, or gardening could suffice.
A second study, published in eClinicalMedicine, found that combining small improvements in sleep, physical activity, and diet could lead to a longer life. For example, an extra five minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, and half a serving of vegetables daily could add a year of life for those with the worst habits. The optimal combination—seven to eight hours of sleep, over 40 minutes of activity, and a healthy diet—was associated with living almost a decade longer.
