New Study Reveals Just 8,800 Steps A Day Can Significantly Reduce The Risk Of Premature Death
Health News
Published: 03 November 2023 17:46 CET
In the quest for healthier living, we've long been told that reaching the coveted 10,000 steps a day is the golden standard. However, a groundbreaking new meta-analysis conducted by the University of Granada challenges this conventional wisdom and unveils an unexpected revelation. It turns out that a more achievable goal of 8,800 daily steps can lead to substantial reductions in the risk of premature death.
Walking at a brisker pace can also boost health benefits, according to the findings, which were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in October.
The report is the first to measure the ideal amount of steps you need to walk each day and adds to growing evidence suggesting short bursts of physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease and death.
“This is the first study to objectively quantify the minimal and optimal stepping volume for health outcomes,” said senior investigator Dr. Thijs M.H. Eijsvogels.
“We also found that these step targets were independent of sex, device type, or wearable location, reinforcing the robustness of our findings and the possibility to add these step targets to future physical activity guidelines,” said Dr. Eijsvogels.
Dr. Amanda Paluch, assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts, and member of the Steps for Health Collaborative, who was not involved in the current meta-study, said, “This study reiterates what we have seen in our previous work. Move more and sit less. It is not an all-or-nothing situation.”
Dr. Cheng Ha-Chen, cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at Saddleback Medical Center, who was also not involved in the study, was pleased that the study “gives us lots of step targets”.
Dr. Paluch suggested that no matter one’s number of daily steps, it is a good idea to set incremental goals that increase step counts over time.
If one is taking 10,000 steps per day, that is no problem. “These results are not an indication that taking more than 10,000 steps may be harmful. There just appears to be diminishing returns at these higher levels,” noted Dr. Paluch.
Dr. Jayne Morgan, cardiologist and clinical director of the Covid Task Force at the Piedmont Healthcare Corporation in Atlanta, was also not involved in the study, explained, “In fact, a decrease in mortality continues to be seen at up to 8,763 steps, and a reduced cardiovascular risk/incidence is realised up to 7,126 steps.”
“This is almost a full 1.5 miles less than the often-touted 10,000-step recommendation,” said Dr. Morgan.
Does walking pace matter? “In observational studies like this one,” said Dr. Paluch, “it is difficult to tease out the association since walking volume and pace are closely related — those who step faster tend to also have more daily steps.”
“Additionally, fewer studies have data available on stepping pace and health benefits, which limits our ability to make strong conclusions as to whether one needs to walk faster or simply get in their steps at any pace.”
Dr. Chen proposed the best guidance is “Try to walk at a pace where you can feel your heart rate going up a little bit. I do say that a higher pace is more helpful than a slower pace.”
“This is huge, as walking is accessible to most, and although faster paces were associated with the highest reduction in heart disease, lower cadences (slower pace of walking) also showed a decrease in heart disease risk,” said Dr. Jayne Morgan.
Should older people walk the same number of steps? Dr. Morgan said the study’s “Big takeaway is for our ageing population.”
“How does this population remain healthy?” asked Dr. Morgan. “Walking, literally any amount daily, helps toward the goal of living a healthy lifestyle and reducing cardiovascular risk.”
“It tells us that we don’t need to target 10,000 to get most of the benefit because sometimes it can be discouraging for people saying, ‘oh boy, that sounds like a really high number,” said Dr. Chen.
Dr. Morgan pointed out that approximately 500 steps is a 1.25-mile walk, a far more achievable goal for older people than a five-mile, 10,000-step journey.
Dr. Chen agreed that the study’s finding that even lower step counts can promote health are welcome news for his older patients.
Dr. Chen said he worries about the frailty that accompanies old age for many.
“I’m not trying to get them from 5,000 to 10,000. I’m just trying to get them from 0 to 2,000 to 3,000,” he said.
He suggests that if they are not doing any significant amount of walking that they “target maybe 10 minutes a day, and just turn it into a habit.”
Dr. Eijsvogels “We found that every step counts. Small increases in daily steps can yield substantial health benefits, so adding 1,000 steps to your daily routine (~10 mins of walking) is worthwhile to consider for everyone.”
Sources: HealthLine - Medical News Today
