Engaging in about 20-25 minutes of daily exercise has been found to significantly lower the heightened risk of death linked to a sedentary lifestyle, according to a recent study.
In developed nations, adults typically spend 9-10 hours daily sitting, primarily during work, which is correlated with an increased risk of mortality.
Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the research highlights that incorporating just 25 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily can mitigate the risks associated with extended periods of sedentary behaviour.
Scientists, including researchers from The Arctic University of Norway, aggregated individual data from four groups equipped with activity trackers for their latest study.
Their objective was to investigate whether physical activity could alter the connection between sedentary time and mortality.
The study aimed to determine the specific levels of physical activity and sitting time that could impact the associated risk of death.
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It incorporated data from nearly 12,000 individuals aged 50 and above, each with a minimum of 4 days of 10 daily hours of activity tracker records.
Participants were observed for a minimum of two years, offering insights into potentially influential factors such as sex, education level, weight, height, smoking history, alcohol intake, and current/previous cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes status.
Among the participants, approximately 5,950 spent fewer than 10.5 hours sitting daily, while 6,042 accumulated 10.5 or more sedentary hours.
Death registry data over an average five-year span revealed 805 (7 percent) people died. Among them, 357 (6 percent) spent less than 10.5 hours sitting daily, while 448 logged 10.5 hours or more.
Being sedentary for over 12 hours daily correlated with a 38 percent increased risk of death compared to those with a daily sitting time of eight hours.
However, this trend was observed specifically among individuals reporting less than 22 daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, as highlighted by the scientists.
The study demonstrated that engaging in over 22 minutes of such physical activity daily correlated with a reduced risk of death.
Also, higher daily amounts of physical activity were associated with a further decrease in risk, regardless of daily sitting time.
For example, an additional 10 minutes of daily exercise was linked to a 15 percent lower risk of death for those spending less than 10.5 sedentary hours.
Among those with over 10.5 sedentary hours daily, this extended workout duration was associated with a substantial 35 percent lower risk.
It has been noted that the study’s main limitation lies in its observational nature, unable to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
