According to a study, ten thousand steps a day is not the best indicator for health. Just 6000 steps is enough.
American researchers found that walking 6,000 to 8,000 steps every day reduces the risk of early death for people over 60 by 54%.
According to the study, any more than 8,000 steps per day provide no additional benefit, despite what fitness gurus say.
A team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst analyzed the results of 15 studies that looked at the impact of daily steps on all-cause mortality for nearly 50,000 people across four continents.
Walking your steps—no matter what pace you walked them at—was the key to reducing your risk of death.
Dr. Amanda Paluch, lead author of the study, said: “We observed a gradual decrease in risk as the steps were increased until it leveled off and the leveling did not occur at different step values for older and younger people.
“Interestingly, the study found no definite association with walking speed other than total steps per day.”
The study found that people under the age of 60 should aim to take at least 8,000 steps every day to minimize their risk of premature death.
Walking 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day reduces the risk of early death for people over 60, and no longer has additional benefits.
Dr. Palukh said the magical goal of 10,000 steps a day was not based on science and came from a 1964 Japanese marketing campaign to sell pedometers.
To find the optimal step count, the team divided 47,471 study adults into four groups based on their average daily step count.
The lowest group of steps averaged 3500 steps; second 5800; third, 7800; and fourth 10,900 steps.
Among the three groups with the most steps, the risk of death was 40-53% lower compared to the group with the lowest quartile, which walked fewer steps.
Dividing the volunteers by age, they found that the risk of premature death for people over 60 was between 6,000 and 8,000 steps with no added benefit.
In adults younger than 60, the risk of premature death is reduced by 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.
The results were published in the Lancet Public Health.
This comes after a study in September found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced the risk of premature death in middle-aged people by 72 percent.
Published in the JAMA Network Open, the researchers tracked 2,110 people aged 38 to 50 and followed them for an average of nearly 11 years since 2005.
Dr. Paluch added: “Steps are very easy to track and there has been a rapid growth in fitness tracking devices.”
“It’s such a clear communication tool for public health messaging.”
“The main takeaway is that there is a lot of evidence that even a little more movement is beneficial, especially for those who engage in very little physical activity.
“The more steps a day, the better for your health.”
A study published in January found that people who wear fitness devices like Fitbits and Apple take an extra 1,200 steps every day and exercise nearly 50 minutes more per week.
The researchers studied the results of more than 100 randomized trials of wearable tracking devices that included nearly 17,000 adults over the past decade.
Publishing their findings in the BMJ, the University of Copenhagen scientists described the increase in daily activity as “slight to moderate”.
But they said the devices could still be useful for longer periods of time, given that most adults don’t meet recommended activity levels.
HOW MUCH EXERCISE DO YOU NEED, ACCORDING TO THE NHS
To stay healthy, adults aged 19 to 64 should try to be active every day and do the following:
- at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking each week, and
- strength training 2 or more days per week that engages all major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms)
Or:
- 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity such as running or playing singles tennis each week and
- strength training 2 or more days per week that engages all major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms)
Or:
- a combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity each week—for example, 2 x 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of brisk walking equals 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and
- strength training 2 or more days per week that engages all major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms)
A good rule of thumb is that 1 minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as 2 minutes of moderate activity.
One way to achieve the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week is to exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week.
All adults should also interrupt prolonged sitting with light activity.
Source: National Health Service