Think that 10,000 steps a day is required for health improvements? Think again!
- Lucid Integrative Health
- Nov 4
- 1 min read
Think that 10,000 steps a day is required for health improvements? Think again!
In a recent analysis of 31 prospective cohort studies involving 293, 562 adults (men and women), walking 7,000 steps vs 2,000 steps a day was associated with:
20% lower risk of all -cause mortality (death)
25% lower risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease
37% lower risk of cancer mortality (death)
14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
38% lower risk of dementia
22% lower risk of depression symptoms
An increase in daily step count from 7,000 to 12,000 steps was associated with additional improvements in the risk of all- cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer mortality, and depression symptoms. However, improvements were even observed in as little as 3,000 steps a day compared to fewer steps.
The commonly promoted "10,000 steps a day" originated from a 1965 Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer called the "manpo-kei" (meaning 10,000 steps meter), however there was no clear evidence.
In summary, walking 7,000 steps a day appears to be a practical, evidence- based target for most adults and is sufficient to capture most health benefits.
Source:
Comments