Really, how many steps should you take a day to be healthy?
A study of 160,000 adults found that walking was associated with a lower risk of death, dementia, and falls.
BarcelonaIt reduces blood pressure and the risk of stroke or heart attack; it regulates blood sugar levels, releases endorphins, which improve mental health, and strengthens the body. There was a consensus on how many steps a day these positive effects begin to be noticed. Now, however, the prestigious magazine... The Lancet Public Health has published a new, more comprehensive study, with data from more than 160,000 adults, which claims that walking 7,000 steps reduces the risk of serious health problems.
Unlike the 2022 and previous research, which focused mainly on heart health or general mortality rates, the study published this Wednesday has found a decrease in the risk of various pathologies. For example, walking 7,000 steps each day (moderate activity) instead of 2,000 (low activity) allows a 47% reduction in mortality from all causes: cardiovascular disease (-25%), cancer (-6%), type 2 diabetes (-14%), dementia (-38%), depression (-22%), and falls (-28%). According to the researchers, increasing steps beyond 7,000 further increases the health benefits, but for most pathologies the benefits were already observed at this level.
Realistic goal
However, the scientists also assert that even taking half of the recommended steps (around 4,000) already provides some benefits compared to very low physical activity (2,000 steps). In this sense, they assert that 7,000 steps a day may be a "more realistic" goal than the current unofficial target of 10,000, especially for those less active. Furthermore, they emphasize that their study demonstrates the value of using daily step counting as a simple way to measure physical activity.
The systematic review included 57 studies and represents "the most comprehensive evidence to date" of the association between the number of daily steps and a wide range of health outcomes, according to its proponents. In this sense, they affirm that these results can help shape future public health guidelines and recommendations, and encourage more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health. "Despite some limitations, [a step-counting tool] captures ambulatory activities across all intensities, durations, and domains, making it a promising supplemental or alternative metric for physical activity recommendations," they state in the study.
