A new meta-study of 12 other studies brings clarity to confusion regarding the most beneficial number of steps one should walk each day.
The study indicates that benefits begin with as few as around 2,500 daily steps and rise from there.
For the optimal reduction in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular risk, however, a person should walk around 9,000 and 7,000 steps daily, respectively.
The study finds that health benefits begin at between 2,500 and 2,700 steps a day.
For people walking 2,500 steps, the risk of all-cause death was reduced by 8%, while cardiovascular events were reduced by 11% with 2,700 steps. At 9,000 steps a day, the chance of dying early is reduced by 60%. Walking 7,000 steps lowers one’s chances of cardiovascular disease by 51%.
The much-cited goal of walking 10,000 steps per day has been largely debunked. It originated in an advertisement for a pedometer in 1964 and was not backed by any scientific research.
The authors of the study also found that additional health benefits are associated with intermediate and high walking speeds in addition to the benefits associated with step counts.
The study was published in the Journal of American Cardiology.
