Forget 10,000 Steps a Day — Science Has a More Accurate Number
Walking more is associated with reduced risk for dementia, diabetes, heart disease, and more—but a new study says you can get fewer than 10,000 steps a day and still see all those benefits.
If you’ve been told that walking 10,000 steps a day is mandatory for good health, you might be surprised to learn that scientists suspect the figure was created to market pedometers and wasn't based on actual data. The number of steps that stave off numerous chronic conditions is actually much lower, according to a paper published today in Lancet Public Health that reviewed the past decade’s research on steps and health.
Walking just 7,000 steps a day lowers the risk of developing more than a half dozen medical conditions as well as premature death, according to the researchers. The scientists, from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Norway, analyzed dozens of studies involving 160,000 adults putting one foot in front of the other.
Compared to people walking 2,000 steps, the 7,000-step total was associated with a 38 percent lower risk of dementia, a 25 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease, and 28 percent fewer falls. Mortality dropped nearly half in the 7,000-step walkers. Risks for depression and type 2 diabetes also fell, although by less than for the other conditions.
