Study reveals how many steps a day reduce early death risk
Walking 10,000 steps a day is great for your health, but scientists have revealed a lower number that is just as good.
Experts have long recommended that people walk 10,000 steps daily to improve their health and help them live longer.
But there is good news for those who struggle to reach the daily milestone.
Scientists at the University of Sydney have revealed that walking 7,000 steps offers similar benefits.
Physical activity, such as 10,000 daily steps, is believed to lower your risk of serious health issues such as cancer, dementia, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.
Professor Melody Ding and her team used 57 studies from all over the world for their research.
“Aiming for 7000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn’t been looked at before,” Ding said, per the university's website.
Even better news for those who cannot achieve the 7,000 steps: starting off small is also beneficial.
“Small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain," Ding added.
“We know daily step count is linked to living longer, but we now also have evidence that walking at least 7000 steps a day can significantly improve eight major health outcomes - including reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and depressive symptoms.”
Here's a look at some of the study's key findings, per the University of Sydney's website:
"When compared with 2000 steps a day, researchers found that:
- Walking 7000 steps a day reduced the risk of death by 47 percent, which was almost identical to the benefit seen at walking 10,000 steps per day.
- Dementia risk dropped by 38 percent from walking 7000 steps a day, with only a 7 percent extra reduction at 10,000 steps.
- Risk of type 2 diabetes fell by 22 percent from walking 10,000 steps a day and reduced to 27 percent at 12,000 steps.
- Significant health improvements were seen when people increased their average daily steps from 2000 to between 5000 and 7000 steps."
If you still want to aim for 10,000 or more steps a day, then go for it!
However, you don't have to be too hard on yourself when you fail to meet the target.
Those who are just starting their 10,000 daily steps challenge can also give themselves a pat on the back if they only manage to do 7,000 steps.
Newbies can aim for 2,000 steps before working their way up to a higher number.
“Our research helps to shift the focus from perfection to progress. Even small increases in daily movement can lead to meaningful health improvements,” Ding said.
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