Study finds five-minute brisk walking helps

Moneycontrol on May 14 highlighted a January 2026 Lancet study that linked very small increases in daily movement to lower premature mortality. The paper estimated that five extra minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, such as brisk walking, could prevent up to 10% of premature deaths in most adults. Researchers based the analysis on device-measured activity data from more than 135,000 people in the UK, Norway, Sweden and the United States, followed for an average of eight years. BMJ News and research institutions involved in the work described the findings as evidence that small, realistic changes in activity can be measured at population level. ### Which study is this story referring to? The Lancet on January 13 published a study titled “Deaths potentially averted by small changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviour.” The analysis examined how 5-minute and 10-minute increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, along with 30-minute and 60-minute reductions in sedentary time, might affect mortality. (bmj.com) Ulf Ekelund of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences was the first author, according to coverage from BMJ News and Uppsala University. The study pooled data from the UK Biobank and seven cohorts in Norway, Sweden and the United States. ### What did the researchers actually find about five minutes? BMJ News reported on January 19 that five extra minutes of brisk walking or other moderate-intensity activity each day could prevent up to 10% of premature deaths overall and 6% of deaths in the least active groups. (thelancet.com) UK Biobank, summarizing the same paper, said the estimate applied if everyone except the most active group added five more minutes of moderately intense exercise to their routine. (bmj.com) The University of Sydney said the study found that, for 80% of adults, walking an extra five minutes a day at a moderate pace would reduce the chance of an early death by 10%. That framing helps explain why some reports describe the finding as applying to “most” adults rather than every participant. (bmj.com) ### How large was the dataset behind the estimate? More than 135,000 adults were included in the analysis, according to The Lancet summaries cited by BMJ News, Karolinska Institutet and UK Biobank. The participants were middle-aged and older adults, and the average follow-up period was about eight years. Device-based measurement was a central feature of the study. (sydney.edu.au) BMJ News said the researchers used accelerometer data rather than relying only on self-reported exercise, and outside experts said that gave the estimates a stronger empirical base. ### Did the paper say stair climbing itself was the key intervention? Moneycontrol cited brisk walking and climbing stairs as examples of short, practical ways to add moderate activity during the day. (bmj.com) The underlying study, as summarized by BMJ News and The Lancet materials surfaced in search, focused on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in general rather than testing stair climbing as a separate intervention against brisk walking. The Lancet Public Health published related earlier research showing that brief bouts of intermittent lifestyle physical activity were associated with lower mortality and cardiovascular events among adults who did not regularly exercise in leisure time. That earlier work supports the idea that short bursts of movement embedded in daily life can matter, but it is distinct from the January 2026 Lancet mortality-averted analysis. (moneycontrol.com) ### What about sitting less? BMJ News reported that reducing sedentary time by 30 minutes a day could prevent up to 7% of early deaths. Moneycontrol included the same point in its May 14 write-up, presenting less sitting as a separate behavior change alongside adding brief activity. Karolinska Institutet said the study was designed to estimate deaths potentially preventable through either small increases in moderate activity or modest reductions in sedentary time. (thelancet.com) The paper did not present those changes as a substitute for all exercise guidance, but as measurable shifts that could be adopted more easily across a population. (bmj.com) ### What comes next for readers trying to verify the claim? The Lancet paper published in January 2026 and BMJ News’ January 19 report are the clearest primary and secondary references for the five-minute estimate. Moneycontrol’s May 14 article is a later media summary of that research rather than a new study announcement. (thelancet.com) (news.ki.se)