New Delhi, July 24
Just 7,000 daily steps can be key to reducing your risk of developing a range of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cognitive issues like depression, dementia, as well as death, according to a new study published in the journal The Lancet Public Health on Thursday.
The comprehensive review, including 57 studies, analysed data from over 160,000 adults, and found that walking approximately 7,000 steps per day is associated with reductions in the risk of several serious health outcomes.
The 7,000 steps aided in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (by 25 per cent), cancer (by 6 per cent), type 2 diabetes (by 14 per cent), dementia (by 38 per cent), depression (by 22 per cent), and falls (by 28 per cent). The all-cause mortality was cut down by nearly 50 per cent.
Notably, while the current unofficial target of 10,000 steps per day, the study highlighted that 7,000 steps daily may be more realistic, particularly for less active people.
“Although 10,000 steps per day can still be a viable target for those who are more active, 7,000 steps per day is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in health outcomes and might be a more realistic and achievable target for some,†said corresponding author Prof Ding Ding, from The Charles Perkins Centre, at The University of Sydney in Australia.
The study also revealed that even modest step counts (around 4,000 steps per day) are linked to better health compared to very low activity (around 2,000 steps per day).
For some conditions, such as heart disease, health benefits continued to increase beyond 7,000 steps, but for most conditions, the benefits tended to level off.
However, the team also acknowledged limitations, such as the small number of studies available, particularly for cancer and dementia, and a lack of age-specific analysis and biases at the individual study level.
Yet, the findings underscore the value of using daily step counts as a straightforward way to measure physical activity, the researchers said.
They suggest these results could help shape future public health guidelines and recommendations, encouraging more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally a realistic target! 10k steps always felt impossible with my IT job. 7k seems doable - I'll try walking in my society park every evening. Good to know even 4k steps show benefits.
Our grandparents were right all along - walking is the best medicine! In villages, people naturally walk more. Modern lifestyle is making us lazy. Time to bring back those evening walks like our parents used to do.
While the study is promising, I wish they had more data on age groups. Walking needs for 25yr old vs 60yr old must be different no? Also Indian cities aren't very pedestrian friendly - we need better footpaths first!
Good news for us desk workers! I've started using step tracker on my phone. Already doing 3-4k steps without trying. Will aim for 7k now. Pro tip: Walk while taking calls and during lunch break.
As a homemaker, I easily cross 7k steps daily with household work and market visits. Maybe that's why our mothers/grandmothers stayed healthier despite not going to gym! Traditional lifestyle had its benefits 😊
Interesting study but we must remember correlation â‰
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