Deaths Could Be Prevented With Small Increases in Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity

THURSDAY, Jan. 22, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Small increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can prevent deaths, and modest improvements in sleep, physical activity, and diet can increase lifespan and health span, according to two studies published online Jan. 13 in The Lancet and eClinicalMedicine.

Ulf Ekelund, Ph.D., from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, and colleagues conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to examine the proportion of deaths preventable by increases in MVPA and reductions in daily sedentary time. The researchers found that a 5-minute/day increase in MVPA in the least active participants and in all participants except the most active, might prevent 6.0 and 10.0 percent of all deaths, respectively. Reducing sedentary time by 30 minutes/day might prevent 3.0 and 7.3 percent of all deaths in the high-risk approach (the ~20 percent least active participants) and the population-based approach (all except the ~20 percent most active), respectively.

Nicholas A. Koemel, Ph.D., from the University of Sydney, and colleagues examined the minimum combined sleep, physical activity, and nutrition (SPAN) improvements needed for a longer lifespan and health span in a prospective cohort composed of 59,078 participants from the U.K. Biobank. The researchers found that participants in the optimal tertiles of MVPA, sleep, and diet had 9.35 additional years of lifespan and 9.45 years of health span compared with those in the least favorable tertiles. A minimum combined improvement of 5 minutes/day of sleep, 1.9 minutes/day MVPA, and a 5-point increase in the 10-item diet quality score was associated with one additional year of lifespan.

“Sleep, physical activity and nutrition are all factors known to be linked to healthier lives, but they are usually studied in isolation,” Koemel said in a statement. “By investigating these factors in combination, we can see that even small tweaks have a significant cumulative impact over the long-term.”  

Several authors from the Koemel study disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text – Ekelund (subscription or payment may be required)

Abstract/Full Text – Koemel (subscription or payment may be required)