Data from the UK Biobank demonstrates that increased brief, sporadic moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduces...

Current physical activity guidelines recommend 150-300 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to improve health. However, whether brief, sporadic MVPA can be included within this recommended dose remains unclear.

In a cohort study, we analyzed data from 96,054 UK Biobank participants whose MVPA was objectively measured by accelerometers at baseline between 2013 and 2016. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, with follow-up through 2022. A machine learning algorithm, trained on ground-truth camera data, was employed to differentiate between sporadic and bouted MVPA.

During a follow-up period of 8.0 years, 3586 deaths and 4948 incident cardiovascular disease events are identified. Compared to the least active individuals (65 min/week of sporadic MVPA at 10^th percentile), those accumulating 150 and 300 min/week of sporadic MVPA have 48% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 44% to 52%) and 50% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41% to 57%) lower all-cause mortality, respectively. For bouted MVPA, compared to the least active individuals (38 min/week of bouted at 10^th percentile), those accumulating 150 and 300 min/week of bouted MVPA have 33% (95% CI: 29% to 37%) and 49% (95% CI: 44% to 53%) lower all-cause mortality, respectively. In joint analysis, optimal health benefits are observed in individuals who incorporated both bouted and sporadic MVPA, rather than merely accumulating additional sporadic MVPA beyond 150 min/week.

In conclusion, meeting the minimum physical activity recommendation through accumulating brief, sporadic MVPA is supported. Incorporating bouted MVPA, rather than accumulating additional sporadic MVPA beyond 150 min/week, may confer further health benefits.