Five minutes of daily exercise not enough for fitness, professor argues
7 reported
A public health professor has pushed back against recent news stories suggesting that five minutes of exercise per day is sufficient for health, calling the claim too good to be true. Writing in The Guardian, Prof Devi Sridhar of the University of Edinburgh analyzed a Lancet study that modeled the effect of a five-minute increase in moderate activity on death rates. The study used data from seven large studies in the US, Norway and Sweden with roughly 40,000 participants, plus UK Biobank data with 95,000 participants, and estimated a 6%-10% reduction in deaths among participants in the multicountry studies. Sridhar noted the study did not test sedentary individuals doing five minutes of daily exercise but instead modeled existing data. She argued that the focus on time increments ignores the need for three types of movement: cardio, strength and flexibility. The World Health Organization recommends 20-40 minutes of moderate activity per day based on extensive evidence, she added.
What’s reported
Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh.
She wrote in The Guardian criticizing recent stories based on a Lancet study that claim five minutes of daily exercise is enough.
The Lancet study used data from seven large studies in the US, Norway and Sweden with roughly 40,000 participants, plus UK Biobank data with 95,000 participants.
The study modeled the proportion of deaths averted by a five-minute increase in moderate activity and estimated a 6%-10% reduction in deaths among participants in the multicountry studies.
Sridhar stated the study did not look at sedentary individuals doing five minutes of daily exercise but used existing data to model the relationship.
She argued the body needs three types of movement: cardio, strength and flexibility.
The World Health Organization recommends 20-40 minutes of moderate activity per day (150-300 minutes per week).
Key figures
Prof Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh
Sources: The Guardian
