A comprehensive review of 57 studies has found that walking 7000 steps per day provides similar health benefits as taking 10,000 paces daily. The Lancet Public Health study published its findings, which showed that increasing physical activity to around 7,000 steps reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 47% and cardiovascular disease by 25%.
Researchers analyzed nine health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, type 2 diabetes, depressive symptoms, and falls. The results indicated that most people experience benefits until around 5,000-7,000 steps per day.
Compared to taking just 2000 steps daily, walking approximately 7,000 steps daily reduced the risk of mortality by 47% and incidence of cardiovascular disease by 25%. Even modest step counts of around 4,000 per day were found beneficial compared to lower activity levels of 2,000 steps.
Conventional wisdom that 10,000 steps per day is optimal has no basis in fact. Epidemiologist I-Min Lee, who first showed health benefits leveled off after 7,500 steps, suggests that “fewer than 10,000 steps per day brings health benefits.” The study expands evidence to other outcomes but notes that data for some conditions, like diabetes, are sparse.
Current guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity weekly, but do not include daily step targets. Lee advocates for incorporating step targets into future guidelines, which should complement time-based targets and cater to different preferences.
Source: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/every-step-counts-do-you-really-need-10-000-2025a1000jsw