Every step matters: Walking 2,200+ steps daily slashes disease risk

The long-held belief that walking 10,000 steps a day is beneficial for health has been revisited in recent research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, indicating that this figure represents the maximum benefit threshold. The study reveals that starting from 2,200 steps daily, each additional step can reduce the risk of heart disease and premature death, even if the individual remains largely inactive for the rest of the day.

The investigation was prompted by the recognition of the health benefits associated with walking up to or beyond 10,000 steps daily. This new research, unveiled on Tuesday (Mar 5), suggests that these health advantages extend to those who are mostly sedentary throughout their day.

Conducted by the University of Sydney, Australia, the study analyzed data from over 70,000 UK Biobank participants, averaging 61 years of age, who wore accelerometers for a week to track their activity levels.

Over a follow-up period of nearly seven years, the study observed 1,633 deaths and 6,190 cardiovascular incidents, such as heart attacks or strokes, among the participants. It was found that walking between 9,000 and 10,000 steps daily could reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by at least 21%, with the optimal number of steps for minimizing the risk of heart attacks and strokes being around 9,700 daily. Additionally, walking 9,000 to 10,500 steps each day was associated with a 39% lower risk of premature death and significantly reduced the likelihood of cardiovascular events.

Interestingly, the study highlighted that any activity level exceeding 2,200 steps daily contributes to lowering health risks, with greater benefits accruing from more steps. The most beneficial range for reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases and early death was identified to be between 4,000 and 4,500 steps per day.

Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, the study’s lead author and research fellow, emphasized that this finding should not serve as an excuse for prolonged inactivity. He pointed out the critical public health message that all physical movement is valuable, encouraging individuals to increase their daily step count to mitigate the health impacts of inevitable sedentary periods.