New research suggests that very small amounts of physical activity could have a surprisingly large impact on public health. Analysing data from large groups of adults across several countries, scientists have found that even just five minutes of moderate exercise a day, such as brisk walking, cycling or climbing stairs, is linked with a reduced risk of early death when compared with doing nothing at all.

Crucially, the benefits are most pronounced at the population level rather than for highly active individuals. That means if large numbers of people who currently do very little movement were to add a few extra minutes of activity each day, the number of premature deaths prevented could be significant.

According to BBC, researchers emphasise that this doesn’t replace official physical activity guidelines — which recommend more sustained exercise — but it does show that tiny increases in activity can produce real gain when spread across a whole population. Simple actions, like taking a short brisk walk, doing a few extra flights of stairs, or parking a bit further from a destination, can all count towards this.

In addition to brief daily exercise, reducing sedentary time — for instance by sitting less for prolonged periods — also appears to improve health outcomes, with some studies linking a reduction in sitting by 30 minutes a day to additional decreases in all-cause mortality risk.

Scientists say these findings could help motivate people who are currently inactive by showing that something is better than nothing, and that even modest shifts in daily habits can contribute to longer, healthier lives.