Fitness trackers and smartphones have redirected people’s attention towards achieving the revered goal of walking 10,000 steps per day.
However, a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that the required number of steps to benefit one’s health may be lower than previously believed.
The research indicates that walking a minimum of 3,967 steps each day can start to reduce the risk of premature death from any cause. Additionally, walking at least 2,337 steps a day can begin to reduce the risk of dying from heart diseases.
This study, the largest of its kind, also discovered that the more steps a person takes, the lower their risk of premature death. Even reaching 20,000 steps a day provides further health benefits.
For every additional 500 to 1,000 steps walked, the risk of dying from any cause or cardiovascular disease decreases significantly. Adding 1,000 steps per day leads to a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, while adding 500 steps per day results in a 7% reduction in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
The study, led by Maciej Banach, professor of cardiology at the Medical University of Lodz in Poland and adjunct professor at the Ciccarone Centre for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US, analyzed 17 different studies with data from nearly 227,000 individuals over an average of seven years.
Prof Banach stated, “Our study confirms that the more you walk, the better.” The results apply to both men and women, regardless of age or geographic region. The analysis also shows that as few as 4,000 steps per day significantly reduce deaths from any cause, and even fewer steps are needed to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease.
However, Dr Ibadete Bytyci, from the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo and senior author of the paper, cautions that further research is needed to validate these findings among larger groups of people, especially since data on step counts above 20,000 per day were limited.
Previously, health officials in England recommended focusing on brisk walking rather than solely relying on meeting the 10,000 steps target, according to advice from Public Health England and the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) in 2018.
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