New research has challenged the golden health standard that walking 10,000 steps daily is necessary to reap any health benefits.
A study appearing in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology research has made waves in the health community by suggesting that roughly 4,000 steps a day can help lengthen one’s life.
The international research team gathered data on 226,889 individuals from 17 studies conducted across the globe, making it one of the most extensive investigations in this field.
Not only did the researchers find that walking only 3,867 steps a day led to a reduced risk of dying from any cause, but as few as 2,337 steps a day were found to lower the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
In terms of the significance of the study, its senior author, Ibadete Bytyçi from the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo, explained in a press release that it could help better inform guidelines on physical activity.
“Until now, it’s not been clear what is the optimal number of steps, both in terms of the cut-off points over which we can start to see health benefits, and the upper limit, if any, and the role this plays in people’s health,” Bytyçi said.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, with an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and excess weight contributing heavily to one’s risk of developing it.
Obesity is an ongoing crisis both nationally and globally, including among younger generations.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, childhood obesity rates have been rising steadily for years in the U.S. and have even prompted health officials to develop new BMI growth charts and treatment guidelines.
The fact that the new study indicates that fewer than 10,000 steps a day — approximately 5 miles — can still yield significant health benefits certainly brightens prospects for those who are less active.
Yet it is notable that the researchers also found that the mortality reduction was the most pronounced among individuals walking 6,000 to 7,000 steps or more daily.
In fact, one universal truth appeared as a result of the study, as lead scientist Maciej Banach, an adjunct professor at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, explained: “the more you walk, the better.”
“We found that this applied to both men and women, irrespective of age, and irrespective of whether you live in a temperate, sub-tropical or sub-polar region of the world, or a region with a mixture of climates,” Banach said in a news release.
Amanda Paluch, a kinesiology professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst not involved in the study, cautioned that “there is no magic number,” according to USA Today.
“You see the greatest incremental benefits by going from nothing to something. It’s really where we see the greatest bang for your buck,” Paluch continued.
“It’s those incremental increases [that matter most], and also, if you’re at a higher lever, you shouldn’t stop what you’re doing,” Paluch added.
