Many of us have heard that walking 10,000 steps a day is best for our health. As a result, various step-counting apps and watches have become very popular over the years.
While it is generally true that the more exercise and movement we can do on a regular basis the better, research has suggested that maybe 10,000 steps is not the magic solution we think it is.
In fact, one study revealed that a specific number of steps daily could slash the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease – and it was far fewer than 10,000.
The meta-analysis, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology in 2023, looked at 17 previous studies involving over 200,000 people.
It found that as few as 2,337 steps a day started to lessen the risk of dying from heart and circulatory diseases.
On top of this, at least 3,867 steps reduced the risk of dying from any cause. Further than this, the researchers found that every extra 1,000 steps a day were linked with a 15 percent reduction in the risk of dying.
For those aged 60 and over, the biggest improvement in health was seen in people taking 6,000 to 10,000 steps, after which the benefits tailed off. And for younger ages, it was between 7,000 and 13,000 steps.
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The study authors concluded: “This meta-analysis demonstrates a significant inverse association between daily step count and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CV) mortality with more the better over the cut-off point of 3,867 steps/day for all-cause mortality and only 2,337 steps for CV mortality.”
Separate research, published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal in 2022, stated that people who walked “up to” 10,000 steps daily had a lower risk of dying. However, it added that how fast you walk could also have an impact on your health.
It said: “The findings of this population-based prospective cohort study of 78,500 individuals suggest that up to 10,000 steps per day may be associated with a lower risk of mortality and cancer and cardiovascular disease incidence. Steps performed at a higher cadence may be associated with additional risk reduction, particularly for incident disease.”
Experts at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) added that the concept of walking 10,000 steps a day comes from a decades-old advertising campaign.
The BHF’s Heart Matters magazine reported: “The idea of 10,000 steps a day traces back to a marketing campaign launched by a step counter company during the 1964 Olympics in Japan. This number was picked because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks like a person walking.
“Despite its marketing origins, the idea caught on and many scientific studies have looked at the health benefits of 10,000 steps a day. Research has linked it to a reduced risk of developing dementia, cancer and heart and circulatory diseases, as well as having mental health benefits.”
Depending on your height, 10,000 steps equates to almost five miles or eight kilometres, which takes people between one and two hours to walk. It will burn between 300 to 800 calories, depending on your weight and height.