Just five minutes a day can prolong life and improve health

The benefits of a simple habit have been confirmed by two large-scale studies.

An extra five minutes of brisk walking and half an hour less sitting per day could extend the lives of millions of people worldwide. This is the conclusion reached by two large-scale studies.

This is reported by The Guardian.

Even a small amount of exercise lowers the risk of early death

Scientists analyzed data from nearly 135,000 people in the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, and Sweden. They found that just five additional minutes a day of moderate physical activity—for example, brisk walking—was associated with an approximately 10% reduction in mortality.

Reducing the amount of time spent sitting produced a similar effect. If a person sits for 30 minutes less per day, the risk of early death falls by approximately 7%. The effect was strongest among the least active 20% of the population—small changes brought them the greatest benefit.

Earlier studies assumed that a person needed to meet specific physical-activity targets to achieve a real effect. The new data show that even a minimal increase in activity is beneficial.

Aiden Doherty, a professor at the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, Aiden Doherty, who was not involved in the study, called the analysis a breakthrough in light of the existing evidence. He noted:

“Up to 10% of all premature deaths could be prevented if everyone made a small and realistic increase of five minutes a day in their moderate physical activity. Reducing sitting time by 30 minutes a day would probably save fewer lives, but the effect would still be significant,” Doherty explained.

Daniel Bailey, a lecturer at Brunel University London specializing in sedentary behavior and health, Daniel Bailey, who was also not involved in the study, called the result promising. According to him, an additional five minutes of moderate activity per day could genuinely save lives and is accessible to almost everyone—even those who currently move very little.

Moderate activity is considered to be activity that slightly quickens breathing and makes the body feel warmer. Ordinary household activities can achieve this:

a brisk walk;

housework;

gardening;

taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

The 30 minutes of sitting can also be replaced with simple activities—a leisurely walk or household chores.Calculators and measuring equipment

Sleep, exercise, and diet together extend life by years

The second study, conducted by specialists from the University of Sydney using data from nearly 60,000 participants in the UK Biobank project, showed that a simultaneous small improvement in sleep, physical activity, and diet was associated with a notable increase in life expectancy.

For people with the poorest sleep, activity, and diet scores, an additional five minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate or vigorous activity—for example, brisk walking or climbing stairs—and an extra half serving of vegetables per day could add about a year to their lives.

The optimal combination of all three factors—seven to eight hours of sleep, more than 40 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity per day, and a healthy diet—was associated with an almost ten-year increase in life expectancy compared with people with the lowest scores.

The authors of both studies emphasized that the results should not be viewed as personalized recommendations for any specific individual, but they demonstrate an enormous potential effect for the population as a whole.