Adding just five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity to your day may be enough to prevent around one in ten early deaths across the adult population.
That is the headline finding of a large individual participant data meta-analysis published in The Lancet in January 2026, which pooled device-measured data from more than 135,000 adults in Norway, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Moderate-to-vigorous activity does not mean the gym. Researchers describe it as anything that leaves you a bit out of breath, with brisk walking around 5 km/h (roughly 3 mph) as the standard example.
The research team followed participants for about eight years on average, using accelerometers so activity levels were measured, not self-reported.
Also read: How hard should your workout be? Target heart rate zones sorted by age
The numbers behind the 10 percent
For the majority of adults, adding five minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous activity was associated with about a 10 percent lower risk of dying over the follow-up period.
Doubling that to 10 minutes daily was linked to a 15 percent reduction. Among the least active fifth of adults, the same 5-minute boost was tied to a smaller 6 percent reduction, according to figures released with the study.
Reducing time spent sitting also mattered. Sitting 30 minutes less per day was linked to a further 7 percent reduction in deaths across the population, and around 3 percent among the least active. Cutting a full hour of sitting was associated with a 13 percent reduction across the majority.
Daniel Bailey of Brunel University of London, one of several independent experts asked to comment, called the 5-minute effect "the really promising finding from this study."
Also read: Skip the elevator: Taking the stairs linked to lower mortality
The study is an observational meta-analysis, so it cannot prove that the extra activity itself caused the lower death rates. It does show a consistent dose-response link across seven cohorts covering four countries.
What counts as five minutes
The bar is low. A brisk walk to the mailbox, climbing a flight of stairs, cycling to the shop or a fast-paced vacuum session all count as moderate-to-vigorous activity.
"Our study focuses on realistic changes. For many people, reducing sitting time or adding short bouts of activity is more achievable than large lifestyle modifications," said Ing-Mari Dohrn, docent at Karolinska Institutet.
The benefits were largest, in absolute terms, for people starting from a low activity baseline. Anyone with a heart condition, joint problem or other chronic illness should check with a doctor before ramping up.
Also read: Extreme heat may be harming your body in more ways than doctors previously realized
Also read: On blood pressure meds? Missing more than 1 in 5 doses may erase most of the heart benefit
This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.