Short Bursts of Daily Activity and Cancer
Link found between 4 to 5 minutes of daily vigorous activity and lower cancer risks.
Short bursts of vigorous lifestyle activity up to a total of four to five minutes per day is linked with a significantly reduced risk of cancer, according to findings described in JAMA Oncology (2023; doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.1830). University of Sydney, Australia, researchers analyzed individual data of over 22,000 ‘non-exercisers’ from wearable devices for approximately 7 years. The findings revealed a connection between vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and a risk reduction of some cancers, by as much as 32 percent, compared with those who do not do any VILPA.
VILPA includes things like walking and carrying shopping bags, fast-paced walking on inclines, active commuting, playing energetically with children, gardening, and mopping or other vigorous forms of housework. Short bursts of activity are up to one minute at a time.
“VILPA is a bit like applying the principles of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to your everyday life,” says lead study author Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health at University of Sydney, Australia.
“It’s quite remarkable to see that upping the intensity of daily tasks for as little as four to five minutes a day, done in short bursts of around one minute each, is linked to an overall reduction in cancer risk by up to 18 percent, and up to 32 percent for cancer types linked to physical activity,” says Stamatakis.
More research is recommended to study the potential of VILPA.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
