London: Lifestyle habits have been placed at the centre of new research showing that very small changes in daily behaviour can have a powerful impact on life expectancy.
A study involving around 135,000 people from the United Kingdom, United States, Norway and Sweden has found that adding just five minutes of moderate physical activity each day and reducing sitting time by 30 minutes could significantly lower the risk of premature death.
The research, led by the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and published in The Lancet, has challenged earlier assumptions that only major increases in exercise levels bring meaningful benefits. The findings have shown that even minimal improvements in lifestyle can make a difference when applied across large populations.
Researchers found that an extra five minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, was associated with an estimated 10 percent reduction in deaths from all causes. Cutting sedentary time by 30 minutes a day was linked with an estimated 7 percent reduction. The most striking benefit was observed among the least active 20 percent of the population, where even minor increases in movement delivered the greatest gains.
The authors have stressed that the findings are intended to guide population-level health strategies rather than act as direct medical advice for individuals. However, the results have demonstrated how small lifestyle adjustments can translate into major public health improvements when adopted widely.
Professor Aiden Doherty from the University of Oxford said that, the study represented a significant step forward because it highlighted the importance of realistic and achievable activity targets. Doherty said that, up to 10 percent of premature deaths could be prevented if people made modest increases in moderate-intensity activity.
Daniel Bailey from Brunel University London said that, the most encouraging aspect of the research is how manageable the changes are. Bailey said that, moderate activities such as brisk walking, gardening and household tasks are enough to create meaningful health benefits. Reducing sitting time can be achieved by replacing it with light movement such as slow walking or standing tasks around the home.
A second study published in eClinicalMedicine has reinforced the importance of combining healthy habits. Researchers from the University of Sydney analysed data from almost 60,000 participants in the UK Biobank and found that small improvements in sleep, physical activity and diet were associated with longer life expectancy.
The study suggested that adding five minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate to vigorous activity and half a serving of vegetables daily could extend life by about one year for people with the poorest health habits. Those who achieved optimal lifestyle patterns, including seven to eight hours of sleep, more than 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity and a healthy diet, were linked with living nearly a decade longer.
Together, the findings have strengthened evidence that sustainable and realistic lifestyle changes can produce substantial health gains. Public health experts have said that encouraging people to take small, manageable steps may be more effective than promoting large and often unrealistic fitness goals.
IMPORTANT | Landslide at Philippines landfill raises death toll to 11
