Walking just 7,000 steps a day can help boost brain power and protect against a variety of diseases, major studies suggest.
This could be a more realistic target than 10,000 steps. This is often seen as a benchmark to reach.
Research published in Lancet Public Healthfound that this figure is associated with a reduced risk of serious health problems such as cancer, dementia, and heart disease.
The findings could encourage more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health, researchers say.
“We have this perception. We should take 10,000 steps a day,” says lead author Dr. Melody Ding. “But that’s not based on evidence.”
The 10,000 steps can be traced back to the 1960s marketing campaign in Japan. In preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a pedometer brand called Manpokei was released, translated as “10,000 step meters.”
Dr. Ding said the number was “out of context,” and became an informal guideline. This continues to be recommended by many fitness trackers and apps.
The Lancet study analyzed previous research and data on the health and activities of more than 160,000 adults around the world.
Compared to those who walked 2,000 steps a day, we found that 7,000 levels were associated with reduced risks such as:
- Cardiovascular disease – 25% reduction
- Cancer – 6% reduction
- Dementia – 38% reduction
- Depression – 22% reduction
However, researchers say that some numbers may be less accurate than others, as they are drawn from only a few studies.
Overall, their reviews suggest that even a modest number of steps per day, about 4,000 steps, is associated with better health compared to a very low activity of 2,000 steps a day.
In most health conditions, walking further for the heart had an additional benefit, but the profit tended to level out over 7,000 steps.
Getty ImagesMost exercise guidelines focus on the time spent doing physical activity in staged counts.
for example, World Health Organization Adults say they should do moderate aerobic activity for at least 150 minutes of weekly or active aerobic activity for 75 minutes.
Dr. Ding says that this advice can be difficult for people to understand, but current guidelines still serve an important purpose.
“There are people who are swim, ride bikes, and have disabilities.
But she says recommendations on how many steps people should take can be included as “additions” that “inspire people to think about spreading physical activity all day.”
Dr. Daniel Bailey, a sedentary behavior and health expert at Brunel University in London, says the study challenges the “myth” that requires 10,000 steps a day.
10,000 steps are a good goal for more active people, but he says aiming for 5,000-7,000 could be a “more realistic and achievable target” for others.
Dr. Andrew Scott, a senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of Portsmouth, agrees that exact numbers are not important.
He says, “More is always better,” and people shouldn’t be too worried about hitting a particular target, especially on days when activity is limited.
