A Small Amount of Light Exercise May Bring Huge Health Benefits
Think five minutes isn’t enough to impact your health and well-being?
In reality, it’s enough to help prevent a disease that troubles many in old age.
Engaging in just five minutes of light exercise daily may help prevent dementia, even for frail elderly individuals, according to a new study.
A Key Medical Practice That Could Reduce Dementia Risk
Researchers from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, led the latest study on this topic.
They found that performing just 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week—compared to doing none at all—reduced the risk of developing dementia by 41% over an average follow-up period of four years.
These findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association and have been shared across multiple medical platforms.
Researchers noted that even for those at higher risk of “adverse health outcomes,” greater physical activity was associated with a lower risk of dementia.
Higher Physical Activity, Lower Dementia Risk
The study’s data highlights:
- Participants who exercised 35 to 69.9 minutes per week had a 60% lower risk of developing dementia.
- Those in the 70 to 139.9 minutes per week category had a 63% reduction in risk.
- Participants exercising 140+ minutes per week saw a 69% reduction in dementia risk.
- For every additional 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, the risk of dementia dropped by 4%.
According to SWNS news agency, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 90,000 adults in the UK who wore smartwatch-style activity trackers.
Dr. Amal Wanigatunga, the study’s lead author, stated:
“Our findings suggest that increasing physical activity, even by just five minutes a day, can reduce the risk of dementia in older adults.”
He emphasized that even frail or nearly frail seniors could lower their dementia risk through low-dose exercise.
‘Better Than Nothing’
While public health guidelines often recommend 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, this study supports a growing body of evidence backing a “better than nothing” approach to physical activity.
The average age of study participants was 63 years, with 56% being women. Over a 4.4-year follow-up period, 735 participants were diagnosed with dementia.
Dementia, commonly in the form of Alzheimer’s disease, affects millions worldwide.
Although dementia risk increases with age, recent research suggests that lifestyle changes—including better control of cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, as well as increased physical activity—can help lower the risk.
A Strong and Consistent Link
Researchers found that each additional 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week correlated with a 4% reduction in dementia risk.
However, the most striking finding came when comparing completely inactive individuals to those who engaged in even the smallest amounts of exercise.
Dr. Wanigatunga stated:
“This shows that even frail or nearly frail older adults can reduce their dementia risk with low-dose exercise.”
Though the study was not a clinical trial proving causation, its findings strongly support the hypothesis that more physical activity leads to a lower risk of dementia.
News Medical reported that to ensure dementia wasn’t causing decreased physical activity (rather than the other way around), researchers repeated their analysis excluding the first two years of follow-up, and the link remained strong.
Expert Reaction
Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor at NYU Langone Health and senior medical analyst for Fox News, was not involved in the study but shared his reaction to the “important” findings.
“This isn’t proof, just an association. But it’s very useful for those who feel discouraged, thinking, ‘I can’t do much exercise due to illness or disability, so why bother?’ This study shows that even a small amount helps.”
Dr. Siegel added that multiple mechanisms could explain the effect, primarily:
- Increased blood flow to the brain,
- Better metabolic waste disposal, and
- Reduced inflammation.
He also noted that the benefits could be linked to broader healthy lifestyle choices, which reduce neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and plaque formation—key characteristics of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.