A study published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that over 110,000 deaths in the US could be prevented each year if adults aged above 40 years added 10 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to their routines.

Additionally, an increase of 20 or 30 minutes could result in even more lives saved. Investigators used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey recorded from participants aged 6 years and above between 2003 and 2006. They assessed the activity levels of around 5,000 participants aged between 40 and 85 years and tracked the death rates through the end of 2015.

Overall, 1165 deaths occurred during a mean (SEM) follow-up of 10.1 (0.1) years. Increasing MVPA by 10, 20, or 30 minutes per day was tied to a 6.9%, 13%, and 16.9% reduction in the number of deaths per year, respectively… (CNN - JAMA Intern Med. Published online January 24, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7755)