Just 4-5 minutes of vigorous activity that makes people huff and puff during daily tasks is associated with a lower risk of some cancers by up to 32 per cent, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal JAMA Oncology, used data from wearable devices to track the daily activity of over 22,000 ‘non-exercisers’.

Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia then followed the group’s clinical health records for close to seven years to monitor for cancer.

They found that four to five minutes of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity or ‘VILPA’ was associated with a substantially lower cancer risk compared to those who undertook no VILPA.