BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

• The benefits of physical activity are well known, but impact of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA), such as climbing stairs or walking quickly for a bus, has not been well studied
• Stamatakis et al. (Nature Medicine, 2022) examined the association of VILPA with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality in the UK  

METHODS:

• Secondary analysis of prospective cohort study
  • UK Biobank
• Population
  • Non-exercisers 40 to 69 years who wore a wrist-worn accelerometer for 7 days
• Exposure
  • VILPA frequency and duration
• Primary outcome
  • All-cause, CVD and cancer mortality risk

RESULTS:

• 25,241 nonexercisers
  • Mean age 61.8 years | 56% women
  • Mean follow-up 6.9 years
  • Deaths: 852

VILPA was inversely associated with all three primary outcomes in a near-linear fashion

• Participants who engaged in 1-minute long VILPA at the median VILPA frequency (3 length-standardized bouts per day lasting 1 or 2 minutes each) experienced a reduction in mortality risk vs no VILPA
  • All-cause mortality: Hazard ratio (HR) 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50 to 0.74)
  • Cancer mortality: HR 0.60 (95% CI, 0.46 to 0.78)
  • CVD mortality: HR 0.51 (95% CI, 0.35 to 0.74)
• VILPA at the sample median duration of 4.4 minutes per day was also associated with a reduction in mortality risk
  • All-cause mortality: HR 0.73 (95% CI, 0.63 to 0.85)
  • Cancer mortality: HR 0.70 (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.84)
  • CVD mortality: HR 0.66 (95% CI, 0.50 to 0.88)
• Results were similar when comparing vigorous physical activity in participants who exercised

CONCLUSION:

• Brief, sporadic bouts of vigorous, non-exercise physical activity are associated with reduced mortality
• The authors state

Moreover, the sample median VILPA duration of 4.4 min per day was associated with a 26%–30% reduction in all-cause and cancer mortality risk and a 32%–34% reduction in CVD mortality risk

Our approach shows that wearable devices combined with machine learning-based methods and self-reported information can reveal physical activity “micro-patterns” as targets to prevent premature mortality, CVD and cancer in populations not willing and/or not able to engage in structured exercise during leisure time

Learn More – Primary Sources:

Association of wearable device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity with mortality

Related ObG Topics:

More From the PURE Study: Does Type of Exercise Matter When it Comes to Decreasing Mortality and CVD?  

Long Term Data on Mortality Reduction and Physical Activity Guidelines

How Many Deaths Could Be Prevented Annually by Increasing Daily Physical Activity by 10 Minutes?

Does Vigorous Physical Activity Further Reduce Risk for Cardiovascular Disease?