Unveiling the real story behind the "10,000-step myth" and proposing new health targets to consider
In a groundbreaking study published in The Lancet Public Health, researchers have found that walking around 7,000 steps a day could significantly improve overall health and reduce the risks of multiple chronic diseases.
The comprehensive review, which combed through 57 previous studies, found that every 1,000-step increase led to a rise in health benefits, starting from a baseline of 2,000 steps a day.
At 4,000 steps, all-cause mortality was reduced by 36%. This reduction increased to 47% at 7,000 steps, indicating a substantial decrease in the risk of death from any cause.
The benefits of walking continued with higher daily step counts, but the size of improvements began to slow down after 7,000 steps.
The study also found reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, depression, and falls at 7,000 steps. For instance, the risk of dementia fell 38%, while the risk of depression was reduced by 22%.
While some conditions, particularly heart disease, showed continued benefits beyond 7,000 steps, for most health outcomes, the benefits level off at this step count.
The authors suggest that 7,000 steps may be a more realistic and achievable target than the traditionally cited 10,000 steps per day, especially for less active individuals. This is particularly significant as one-third of the world's population is thought to be insufficiently active due to increasingly sedentary modern lifestyles.
Interestingly, the number 10,000 steps originated from a marketing campaign for pedometers, and the value of 10,000 steps as a golden number for daily activity does not have a basis in scientific evidence.
In summary, based on this large, comprehensive meta-analysis, aiming for 7,000 steps per day provides substantial health benefits and is a practical goal for improving overall health and reducing risks for multiple chronic diseases.
- Embracing a healthy-diets and fitness-and-exercise routine that encourages reaching 7,000 steps per day could lead to significant improvements in various aspects of health, such as reducing the risks of multiple chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
- Science continues to highlight the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle in the context of space exploration, scientific research, and workplace-wellness, with a focus on reaching a daily target of 7,000 steps.
- The therapies-and-treatments for dementia could potentially be less necessary if individuals consistently reach 7,000 steps a day, since the risk of dementia is reduced by 38%.
- This study in The Lancet Public Health also sheds light on the decreased risk of falling, depression, and various other health conditions that are associated with achieving a daily step count of 7,000.
5.Boosting one's overall health and wellness using evidence-based methods such as the science of daily-step counts can serve as a powerful weapon against the global issue of insufficient physical activity, which affects one-third of the world's population.
