7,000 steps a day are good enough to boost health

 To cut health risks, How many daily steps minimum are required

A new study has found that taking how many steps per day is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other health issues. Walking 7,000 steps a day can be enough to boost your brainpower and help protect against a range of different diseases. The researchers hope their findings could shape future public health guidelines. It may be a more realistic target than 10,000 steps, which is often seen as the benchmark to reach. It’s become a wellness mantra: Get your steps in. Ideally, 10,000 every day. The research found that the figure was linked with a reduced risk of serious health issues, including cancer, dementia and heart disease. The findings could encourage more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health. "We have this perception we should be doing 10,000 steps a day," says lead author Dr Melody Ding, "but it's not evidence based". Ten thousand steps works out at roughly five miles or eight km's. The precise distance will be different for everyone, varying according to stride length which depends on height, gender and walking speed, with faster walkers tending to take longer strides.

The figure of 10,000 steps can be traced back to a 1960s marketing campaign in Japan. In the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a brand of pedometer was launched called the manpo-kei, which translates as "10,000-step meter". But how many steps do you really need to reap the health benefits? And what exactly does walking do for your body? New research indicates the magic number is about 7,000 daily steps. Reaching that mark is linked to a significantly lower risk of health issues as wide-ranging as dementia, heart disease, depression, type 2 diabetes and cancer. The impact ranged from a 6 % reduction in cancer risk to a 38 % decline for dementia, according to the study, which was published in The Lancet Public Health journal. Getting 7,000 steps per day was also tied to a 28 % lower risk of falls, which can be fatal for older adults.

Dr Ding says this figure was "taken out of context" and became an unofficial guideline, which many fitness trackers and apps continue to recommend. The Lancet study analysed previous research and data on the health and activity of more than 160,000 adults around the world. Compared with those who walked 2,000 steps a day, it found that 7,000 steps was linked to reduced risk of following diseases:-

Cardiovascular disease         down 25%

Cancer                                  down 6%

Dementia                              down 38%

Depression                           down 22%

However, the researchers say some figures could be less accurate than others as they are drawn from only a small number of studies. The findings “debunk the myth that 10,000 steps per day should be the target for optimal health,” Dr Daniel Bailey, a reader in sedentary behaviour and health at Brunel University of London, who was not involved with the study, said. The study’s findings will come as no surprise to those familiar with walking’s benefits for heart health. Walking briskly increases the heart rate, improves circulation, lowers blood pressure and can help people lose weight.

Overall, their review suggests even modest step counts of around 4,000 steps a day are linked to better health compared to very low activity of just 2,000 steps a day. For most health conditions, the benefits tended to level off beyond 7,000 steps although there were additional advantages to walking further for the heart. But the new analysis is the first to explore how getting your steps in can curb the risk of multiple health issues, according to the international research team. The researchers tracked data from more than 160,000 people across 31 studies for the analysis. They found that people with even modest step counts, around 4,000 per day, had better health outcomes than people with very sedentary lives, getting around 2,000 steps per day. The more people walked, the better they fared if they had a condition such as heart disease. But for other health outcomes, the benefits seemed to taper off after about 7,000 steps per day. Average adult could live 5 extra years with more exercise, study shows. “The real-world implications are that people can get health benefits just from small increases in physical activity, such as doing an extra 1,000 steps per day,” Bailey said.

'It's about getting out and about' Jon Stride says he surpasses this benchmark, often hitting 16,000 steps in a day, he feels we shouldn't focus on the numbers. "It's about getting out and about, and the benefits for our mental wellbeing that are tangible but not as easy to quantify as the simple step count." The 64-year-old started walking every day after suffering a heart attack in 2022, inspired by his father-in-law, who had a heart attack at the same age. "I live in a rural town in Dorset, and I usually have a good hour's walk in the mornings. I'm the only person out walking without a dog." Jon said counting his steps on his phone provided a good challenge as well as health benefits: "You get up to a certain level, and you think, well I can keep walking." Counting daily steps has become a popular pastime with fitness trackers. Most exercise guidelines focus on time spent doing physical activity over step counts. The report has some limitations, notably that the findings on cancer and dementia are less certain because the data came from only a few studies. Additionally, some of the included studies did not fully take into account other factors which could influence health outcomes, such as age or frailty.

Even so, the researchers said the findings could be encouraging for people who are not very active, given 7,000 daily steps may be a more realistic goal than the unofficial target of 10,000 steps. 'Weekend warrior' exercise as beneficial as regular workouts in lowering risk of over 200 diseases. World Health Organization says adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week. Dr Ding says this advice can sometimes be difficult for people to understand but the current guidelines still serve an important purpose. "There are people who swim, cycle or have physical disabilities which don't allow them to take steps," she explains. But she says a recommendation on the number of steps people should take could be included as an "addition." Steven Harridge, a professor of human and applied physiology at King's College London who was not involved with the study, said that step counts do not shed much light on the intensity of people’s physical activity, which is also important for wellbeing. Health experts recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking or riding a bike, per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise once per week. But Harridge welcomed the findings nonetheless. “This study adds to the body of knowledge that shows physical activity is vitally important for health, and anything that encourages people to be more active is a good thing for both physical and mental health,” Harridge said.

Dr Daniel Bailey, a sedentary behaviour and health expert from Brunel University London, says the study challenges the "myth" that 10,000 steps a day is necessary. While 10,000 steps is a suitable goal for those who are more active, he says aiming for 5,000 to 7,000 could be a "more realistic and achievable target" for others. Dr Andrew Scott, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of Portsmouth, agrees the exact number isn't important. He says "more is always better" and people shouldn't worry too much about hitting a specific target, especially on days when activity is limited. Azeem Majeed, a GP and a professor at Imperial College London, says for older adults or people with chronic health conditions, a lower step count would still be beneficial. Although, he says, "walking generally is quite a low effort activity," people with forms of heart disease, arthritis or chronic lung disease may find it more difficult. But he says even doing household chores "like hovering or gardening," can form part of daily physical activity and benefit people of all age groups.