Physical activity for 2½ hours every week can prevent 1 in 12 deaths: Lancet study

WHO recommends that adults aged 18-64 do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity through the week, as well as muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week.

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WHO recommends that adults aged 18-64 do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity through the week, as well as muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week. (Representational image)

One in 12 deaths can be prevented with 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week, according to a study that tracked over 1.3 lakh people in 17 countries, including 24,000 in India. The study appears in The Lancet Friday. Over several years, the researchers recorded information on cardiovascular disease and death, and whether the participants followed physical activity guidelines as recommended by the World Health Organization. WHO recommends that adults aged 18-64 do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity through the week, as well as muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week.

Of those who met the guidelines (1.07 lakh), 3.8% developed cardiovascular disease, compared to 5.1% of those (23,000) who did not. Risk of mortality was lower for people met the guidelines — 4.2%, compared to 6.4%.

The findings suggest, the researchers say, that if the entire population met these guidelines, it would prevent 8% of deaths (1 in 12) and 4.6% (1 in 20) of cardiovascular disease cases. If the entire population was highly active — 750 minutes of physical activity a week — 1 in 8 deaths, and 1 in 10 cases of cardiovascular disease, could be prevented.

“One in 20 cases of cardiovascular disease could be prevented if everyone did 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week – whether it’s going to the gym, walking to work, or household chores,” the study’s lead author, Prof Scott Lear, Heart and Stroke Foundation chair in cardiovascular prevention research at St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, told The Indian Express. “Being highly active is associated with an even greater reduction, and we found that this was more achievable for those who built physical activity into their day through active transport, job type, or housework.”

Co-author Dr Rajeev Gupta, chief of the research division at Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, said 24,000 participants were from Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai and Chandigarh. “We assessed these people from 2003 and 2008 and have been following them up for 6.5 years for cardiovascular events,” Gupta said.

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Recreation time was limited among the Indian participants, the findings indicated. “We do not have country-level or site-level data as it was pooled and analysed centrally in Canada,” said co-author Dr R M Anjana, vice president, Madras Diabetic Research Foundation, Chennai. “India belongs to the low income category and here, the overall mortality plus cardiovascular diseases was less by 24%; mortality alone was less by 27%; major cardiovascular diseases alone was less by 17%,” Dr Anjana told The Indian Express.

Recent data from an Indian Council of Medical Research study, led by Dr Anjana, showed that out of 14,227 individuals studied for physical activity levels, 54.4% were inactive (not meeting WHO guidelines), 31.9% were active and 13.7% were highly active.

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“From other studies we know that physical inactivity has been on the rise in India, as has the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. This is coincident with the increasing economic prosperity in the country,” Prof Scott said.

Global Burden of Disease data shows 6 million people died due to noncommunicable diseases in India in 2016. Dr Shifalika Goenka of the Public Health Foundation of India and the Centre for Chronic Disease Control, India — who has written a commentary with the study — told The Indian Express, “Cardiovascular disease is known to have devastating effects on individuals and families. In low-income and lower-middle-income countries, cardiovascular disease can push people to below the poverty line. Creating a physical, social, and political environment where physical activity in daily living is desirable, accessible, and safe should be a developmental imperative.”

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

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