What are the smallest lifestyle changes we need to make to live longer and to extend our healthspan?
Two new studies suggest that the goalposts to a healthier, longer life are much closer than we think.
Until now, projections around preventable deaths have been based on getting everyone to meet physical activity guidelines, which only one in five Australians do.
Going from nothing, or very little, to suddenly meeting the guidelines of at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day is not realistic for many people, says Melody Ding, a professor of public health at University of Sydney.
Researchers have turned their attention to more achievable goals, including the minimum needed to prevent an early death and, in the second study, how little we need to do to live longer and improve our healthspan.
Early death prevention
The first study, a meta-analysis published in The Lancet, looked at the physical activity and sedentary behaviours of 135 046 adults with the average age of 63. The researchers then followed up with their health outcomes about eight years later.
They found that increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by just five minutes a day could prevent up to 10 per cent of deaths close to a decade later. While MVPA differs depending on a person’s fitness levels, it can include walking briskly, swimming, jogging, cycling or playing sport.
The average time participants spent sitting was nine hours a day. Any meaningful reduction in mortality rates required reducing that by at least 30 minutes a day.
Replacing some of our sedentary time with physical activity gives us the benefit of both sitting less and moving more, says Ding, who co-led the study.
She adds that an extra five minutes of physical activity each day is also a step closer to reaching the goal of 7000 steps a day, which Ding’s work has previously found to be the magic number in significantly improve eight major health outcomes, including reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depressive symptoms.
Using physical activity as an entry point can also lead to improvements in other areas of our health.
“Physical activity is related to sleep,” Ding says. “Do the extra bit and your sleep will become better. Behaviours are all interlinked.”
The minimum needed to improve our lifespan and healthspan
It is the connected nature of our behaviours that motivated the second study, published in the journal eClinical Medicine.
“Healthy habits work best as a package,” says Nicholas Koemel of the University of Sydney, who led the study. “All of our efforts add up to make a meaningful difference to our lifespan and our healthspan.”
The study analysed the lifestyle behaviours of 59,078 adults, with the average age of 64, following up on their health outcomes eight years later.
They found that for an extra year of life, the minimum combined dose of behaviours was:
- An additional five minutes of sleep a day
- Plus two minutes of MVPA
- And an extra half-serving of vegetables – the equivalent of a quarter of a cup of cooked green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, carrots, pumpkin or cooked dried or canned beans, peas or lentils – or one-and-a-half servings of whole grains – the equivalent of one slice of bread or half a cup of cooked brown rice or wholewheat pasta.
To improve healthspan, the dose required a little more. These changes were associated with four additional years of healthspan, which is the number of years free from chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, dementia, cardio obstructive pulmonary disorder and type 2 diabetes:
- An extra 24 minutes of sleep a day
- Four more minutes of MVPA
- And an additional cup of vegetables, or serving of whole grains per day, and two servings per week of fish.
The highest life expectancy gained – almost an extra decade (9.35 years) – was observed with seven to eight hours of sleep per day, 40 minutes of MVPA and adoption of a healthy diet.
A healthy diet can be interpreted in several different ways, but for this study, it meant eating three or more servings of fruit a day, plus the same amount in vegetables and wholegrains, while removing refined grains, processed meats and sweetened drinks.
Getting the best outcome from doing the least
“These are the two sides of the coin – the minimum change and the best possible scenario,” says Koemel. “Some individuals might not be able to make radical shifts or lifestyle overhauls, and that’s what’s beautiful about offering the minimum change, because we can offer people a starting point.”
Demonstrating that “really manageable” shifts in our lifestyle can have a tangible effect on our health and longevity may make behavioural change more feasible and sustainable.
“We can work our way up to making those optimal changes,” Koemel adds.
“We don’t see the minimum change as the silver bullet here. These are a good place to start. They are not necessarily where the journey should end.”
Professor David Dunstan, of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and Deakin University, agrees.
“Both papers deliver a powerful reminder: even small steps toward healthier habits can make a big difference,” says Dunstan, who was not involved in the research. “For those living with an unhealthy lifestyle, the message is simple and encouraging—doing something is far better than doing nothing. A single positive change can set you on the path to better health and lower your risk of disease.”
What is equally important is that these findings show our health isn’t about one behaviour in isolation, Dunstan says:
“It’s about the cumulative effect of small improvements across the board – whether it’s moving more, eating better, or reducing harmful habits. Every little change counts, and together, they add up to meaningful health benefits.”
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.
Sarah Berry is a lifestyle and health writer at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.