Analysing the data, researchers concluded that exercising for 22 minutes every day – taking a brisk walk, doing intensive housework or heading out for a jog, hike or cycle – seems to offset the negative effects of being sedentary and eliminates the risk of early death caused by excessive sitting.

Just under half of participants spent fewer than 10.5 hours sitting down every day, while 6,042 spent 10.5 or more hours being sedentary; 805 died over the five-year follow-up period.

The study’s author Edvard Sagelv, from the Arctic University of Norway, said: “In our study, every minute [of] higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity showed a lower risk of death – meaning if people were doing fewer than 22 minutes (such as 10 minutes) there was still a lower risk of death.

“However, doing 22 minutes eliminated the higher risk of death from sedentary time.”

In other words, if you’re active for 22 minutes or more a day, there’s no excess risk from the time spent being sedentary.

Just 22 minutes of walking or housework can offset the damage of sitting down all day, new study suggests