Walking 8,000 steps, or nearly 4 miles, once or twice a week significantly reduces the risk of early death, according to a study published Tuesday.
While regular physical activity is known to reduce mortality risk, the study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examines the health benefits of vigorous walking for just a few days a week.
Researchers from Kyoto University and the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed data from 3,101 American adults.
They found that those who walked 8,000 steps or more once or twice a week were 14.9% less likely to die over a 10-year period than those who didn’t reach that milestone.
Those who took these long walks three to seven times a week saw their risk of death drop even further, by 16.5%.
The health benefits of these hikes of 8,000 or more steps, once or twice a week, appear to be even more pronounced for people 65 and older.
“The number of days per week that someone walked 8,000 steps or more was associated (in the study) with a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality and all other causes,” the researchers said.
“This work suggests that individuals can achieve significant health benefits from walking for just a few days a week,” they continue.
For this study, researchers looked at participants’ daily steps between 2005 and 2006 and their mortality ten years later.
Of the participants, 632 did not reach the 8,000-step mark on at least one day a week; 532 people met or exceeded them once or twice a week; and 1,937 people did it three to seven times a week.
On average, Americans walk 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, according to data from the Mayo Clinic, which says walking as a regular form of physical activity can reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, high blood pressure and depression.