'Simple, attainable changes' like a 10-minute walk per day may reduce disease burden

Key takeaways:

• Short amounts of daily moderate exercise were associated with reduced inflammation and depressive symptoms.
• A researcher said seemingly small changes can have a major impact on patient health.

CHICAGO — Just 10 minutes of daily moderate exercise may lower inflammation and, subsequently, risk for disease, according to research from the annual NUTRITION meeting.

Jacqueline A. Vernarelli, PhD, the director of research education and an associate professor at Sacred Heart University, told Healio that, considering “much of public health advice is about making lifestyle changes,” she and her research partner Kayla D. Champagne, MPH, were “really interested in the impact of small changes.”

“Our findings suggest that regular moderate activity — something like, say, walking — may have a pretty major impact on health,” Vernarelli said.

The researchers used data from 7,910 adults who participated in the 2017-2020 NHANES study to analyze connections between exercise behaviors and inflammatory markers. They used validated questionnaires to collect physical activity data and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) to assess inflammation.

After adjustment for factors such as race, sex and age, Vernarelli and Champagne found that those who engaged in moderate exercise for as little as 10 minutes each day saw significantly lower inflammation levels. Regular exercise was also connected to lower depressive symptoms (P = .002). Conversely, consumption of added sugar was linked to higher levels of hsCRP (P < .0003).

The researchers concluded that public health messaging centered on small dietary changes and regular exercise may help reduce the burden of disease.

Vernarelli said that primary care providers “should focus on encouraging patients to make simple, attainable changes” because “something as easy as walking for 10 minutes a day, every day, and/or reducing added sugar intake is associated with lower inflammation.”

“There is science to indicate that a little bit every day can have a big impact on overall health,” Vernarelli said. “Making healthy choices does not have to be a huge burden — walking around the neighborhood or office; swapping a sugary beverage for flavored water — these little things have a big impact on overall health and disease risk.”