In a groundbreaking study published in The Lancet Public Health, researchers have uncovered that individuals can achieve significant health benefits by walking as few as 7000 steps a day, challenging the long-held belief that the optimal daily step count is 10,000 steps. The comprehensive review, led by Katherine Owen, PhD, a biostatistician at the University of Sydney, indicates that the health advantages associated with increased physical activity plateau around the 7000-step mark.
Dr. Owen stated, “For all outcomes, health benefits continued to accrue until around 7000 steps. After 7000 steps, benefits either plateaued or there were very small additional benefits.” The research team meticulously reviewed 57 studies and performed a meta-analysis on 31 of them, focusing on the correlation between daily steps and various health outcomes.
The study examined nine distinct health outcomes, which included:
All-cause mortality Incidence and mortality from cardiovascular disease Dementia Cancer incidence and mortality Type 2 diabetes Depressive symptoms FallsResults showed that improvements in health were evident as daily activity increased; however, most individuals experienced diminishing returns after reaching 5000 to 7000 steps per day. When compared to taking only 2000 steps per day, walking around 7000 steps per day led to a:
47% reduction in all-cause mortality 25% decrease in cardiovascular disease incidence 6% reduction in cancer incidence 14% decrease in type 2 diabetes incidence 38% reduction in dementia incidence 22% decrease in depressive symptoms 28% reduction in fallsMoreover, the study highlighted that even modest step counts, such as 4000 steps per day, are beneficial compared to lower activity levels of just 2000 steps. “Every step counts,” Dr. Owen emphasized, reinforcing the idea that increasing daily steps to around 7000 is optimal for improving various health outcomes.
The conventional wisdom that 10,000 steps per day is the ideal amount for optimal health is now being questioned. Dr. I-Min Lee, MD, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, noted that there is substantial evidence indicating that fewer than 10,000 steps can still yield health benefits. Dr. Lee was among the first to demonstrate that the health advantages of daily exercise plateau after approximately 7500 steps.
Dr. Lee explained that most previous research has primarily concentrated on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular health, while the new study broadens the scope to include other health outcomes, although data on some conditions, like diabetes, remains limited.
Current physical activity guidelines, including those from the US Department of Health and Human Services, recommend 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week. However, these guidelines do not specify daily step targets due to a lack of evidence at the time of publication. With the rise of step tracking technologies and improved data on step-based activity, Dr. Lee advocates for the inclusion of step targets in future guidelines.
“I don’t believe they should replace time targets, since not everybody wants to track their steps,” she stated. “But they should be included.” Both Dr. Owen and Dr. Lee have declared no competing interests related to the study.
In summary, this new research supports the idea that walking 7000 steps a day can significantly enhance health outcomes, encouraging individuals to focus on reaching this achievable goal rather than fixating on the previously touted 10,000-step objective.
