Step-Saving Study Released on Taking Steps Toward Better Health Outcomes

by M.C. Millman 

The world's most extensive study on the topic suggests that the number of steps a person needs to walk every day to see health benefits is 6,000 steps lower than previously thought.

While the 10,000-step goal has been widely accepted to be linked to various health benefits, no research or evidence has proven 10,000 to be the magic number.

In a study released on Wednesday that analyzed 226,889 people from 17 different studies worldwide, the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that a minimum of 3,967 steps a day reduces the risk of dying from any cause. Two thousand three hundred thirty-seven steps a day reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases.

"Our analysis indicates that as little as 4,000 steps a day are needed to significantly reduce deaths from any cause, and even fewer to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease," lead author Maciej Banach, professor of cardiology at the Medical University of Lodz and adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, stated in a press release on the study.

Despite needing just under 4,000 steps to see actual health advantages, the more a person walks, the greater the health benefit. Every 500 to 1,000 extra steps taken reduces the risk of death significantly. A 1,000-step increase provides a 15% decrease in the risk of dying from any cause. A 500-step increase is linked with a 7% reduction in fatal cardiovascular disease. Health benefits continue to increase the more a person walks.

The newly released study is also the first to assess the effect of walking up to 20,000 daily steps while looking at potential contributing factors such as age or location.

The study found that people aged 60 or older showed a smaller decrease in death than those younger than 60. For those under 60, walking between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day provided a 42% decrease in risk of death and a 49% reduction for walking between 7,000 and 13,000 steps daily.

Studies have provided strong evidence that sedentary lifestyles lead to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and a shorter life. Research has revealed that more than a quarter of the world's population is affected by insufficient physical activity, with more men than women and more people in higher-income countries compared to low-income countries not getting enough.