Have you taken a step today? Well, new research shows that your goals may not need to be as high as helping your health in the past.
The study, published this week in the Lancet, found that walking about 7,000 steps per day reduces the risk of several serious health outcomes, including a reduction in the overall risk of death by about 47%.
Scientists analyzed 57 studies of over 160,000 adults and found that those who walked the 7,000 stage also reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 25% and their risk of dementia by 38%.
At just 7,000 levels, the risk of cancer deaths was 37% lower and cardiovascular disease deaths decreased by 47%.
However, this study found that even moderate 4,000 steps could reduce overall death risk by 36%, resulting in better health outcomes compared to 2,000 steps.
“It reinforces the message that some are better than others, while others are better,” said Mark Tremblay, a senior scientist at Children's Hospital at the East Ontario Institute.
7,000 steps could be “more realistic” for people to achieve, compared to the 10,000 steps previously thought to be necessary.
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A 2019 survey published in JAMA Internal Medicine states that the origin of the 10,000 stages is not yet clear, but it states that it is “derived” from the product names of pedometers sold by Japanese Yamasa watches and musical instrument companies in 1965. This device is called Manpo-kei and is converted to the Japanese “10,000 Step Meter.”
In fact, Lancet's study found that in most health conditions, risk levels did not drop significantly if the number of steps exceeded 7,000.
Scientists say people don't need to be strict with numbers
Tremblay emphasized that 7,000 or 10,000 is a good number to aim for, but people should not be so strict with themselves.
“If you're currently walking a 100-meter dog, he said, if you forget your 100-meter goal and you can walk 150 meters.
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“A little faster than 100 meters is great. If you're used to doing it on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and you can do it every week, wow, you'll benefit.
“If we can make people understand that rather than remembering 10,000, 7,000, 150 minutes a week, or anything, then it's the population level nudge we want people to.”
However, researchers in the study warn that some numbers may not be that accurate, as they come from a small number of studies.
Exercise guidelines by the Canadian Association of Exercise Physiology recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to intense aerobic activity.
Heart and Stroke Foundation says this could include a 10-minute active walk, and if the time is short, “physical activity is better than anything.”
Tremblay, a member of the panel that developed Canadian 24-hour exercise guidelines for adults, confirmed that message.
“The evidence we have now and the computing capabilities we have, there's no reason to stick to this one-size-fits-all approach to public health guidelines,” he said.
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