Data from more than 53,000 UK Biobank participants suggest that small improvements to sleep, diet and exercise could significantly reduce heart disease risk.
Summary
A few more minutes of sleep and exercise, plus a few more vegetables, have been linked to a 10% lower risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure. The results, which are based on data from more than 53,000 UK Biobank participants, suggest that even small changes might benefit heart health in the long run.
Researchers analysed activity-tracker data and food questionnaire results from more than 53,000 UK Biobank participants
Sleeping 11 more minutes per day, being active for five more minutes and eating an extra quarter cup of vegetables could cut the risk of heart attacks and stroke by 10%. “That is something that everybody can try to weave into their day-to-day routines,” says study co-leader Nicholas Koemel from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Habits work together
Most studies tend to look at one ‘lifestyle’ factor (sleep, diet, exercise) at a time. “However, we know that these are both behaviourally and metabolically intertwined,” Koemel says. He and his team analysed a combination of activity-tracker data from more than 53,000 UK Biobank participants – for sleep and exercise – and participants’ replies to various food questionnaires.
That is something that everybody can try to weave into their day-to-day routines.
Dr Nicholas Koemel, University of Sydney, Australia
The ‘optimal’ combination was eight to nine hours of sleep per night, at least 40 minutes of heart-rate-raising activity per day, plus two to three daily servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. People who did this had a nearly 60% lower risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure than people who slept five hours, exercised little and ate less healthy foods.
But even very small changes were linked to a distinct improvement: 11 additional minutes of sleep, five more minutes of exercise and an extra quarter cup of vegetables seemed to reduce heart attack risk by 10%.“The idea that even small, incremental steps can move you to a better health state is valuable,” comments cardiovascular medicine specialist Paul Leeson from the University of Oxford, UK.
Sustainable changes
“Sometimes one of the barriers to health interventions is this idea of all or nothing,” Leeson explains. “For example, the idea of 10,000 steps per day is great. But for a lot of people going from a sedentary lifestyle – perhaps 3,000 steps a day – to 10,000 just feels too unachievable.” The results suggest that even tiny changes, if sustained and over time, can have benefits, Leeson says.
The idea that even small, incremental steps can move you to a better health state is valuable.
Professor Paul Leeson, University of Oxford, UK
“What hasn’t been tested is that if you increase, for example, your sleep by 10 minutes, you see a benefit,” Leeson adds. This type of study, he explains, can only uncover trends, not prove cause and effect.
Koemel and his team now hope to work with local communities to see if small changes can really make a difference: “How long might we need to maintain these behaviours to observe these cardiovascular prevention associations?”
Related publication
Related publication
- European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, March 2026
