A groundbreaking study has revealed that walking a little more than 3,000 steps per day can have significant health benefits. According to researchers from Europe and the United States, the distance walked doesn’t have to be great to achieve positive effects on health.
Aug. 8 (UPI) — Walking always has been beneficial for health, but European and U.S. researchers have found that you don’t have to walk a great distance daily to receive significant benefit.
Published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, this new study suggests that walking 3,967 steps a day can start reducing the risk of mortality from any cause, while walking just 2,337 steps per day can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease or blood vessel disease.
In the study, led by Maciej Banach, a professor of cardiology at the Medical University of Lodz in Poland, and an adjunct professor at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, it was concluded that the more you walk, the healthier you become.
“Our study confirms that the more you walk, the better,” says Banach. “We found that this applied to both men and women, regardless of age or geographical location. Whether you live in a temperate, sub-tropical, or sub-polar region, walking more has tremendous health benefits.
“In fact, our analysis indicates that as few as 4,000 steps a day are enough to significantly reduce overall mortality, and even fewer to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease.”
Data from 17 different studies involving 226,889 participants across the globe were analyzed to determine the range of benefits associated with walking. The results consistently showed that increased walking led to greater benefits.
“The risk of mortality from any cause or cardiovascular disease decreases with every 500 to 1,000 additional steps walked,” the researchers explain. “An increase of 1,000 steps per day was associated with a 15% reduction in overall mortality, while an increase of 500 steps per day was associated with a 7% reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease.”
The study highlights the abundance of evidence linking a sedentary lifestyle to cardiovascular disease and premature death. Insufficient physical activity affects more than a quarter of the world’s population, with women and individuals in higher-income countries being particularly affected.
“Insufficient physical activity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, resulting in 3.2 million deaths annually,” the study points out. “The COVID-19 pandemic has further reduced physical activity levels, which remain low even two years later.”
Banach emphasizes that the benefits of walking are universal, irrespective of gender, age, or location.
“Our findings apply to both men and women, regardless of age or geographical region,” he states. “Whether you live in a temperate, sub-tropical, or sub-polar region, the benefits of walking remain consistent.”
“Furthermore, our analysis indicates that as few as 4,000 steps per day can significantly reduce mortality rates from any cause, and even fewer steps are needed to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease.”
Banach also suggests that despite the availability of advanced drugs targeting conditions like heart disease, healthcare professionals should always prioritize lifestyle changes to prolong life.
“We still need further research to explore whether these benefits are present in more intense forms of exercise, such as marathon running and iron man challenges, and among different populations with varying ages and associated health problems,” Banach adds. “However, it seems that, just like with medication, personalized lifestyle changes should always be considered.”
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