Optimal Daily Steps for Longevity Nearly Only Half of the Recommended Step Count We Knew

You do not need to make 10,000 steps a day to live longer. Researchers have learned that the optimal step count is fewer than previously recommended.

Optimal Daily Step Count

The conventional view holds that 10,000 steps is the first step toward living a long and healthy life. It is difficult to sustain this objective for people who lead more sedentary lives. Additionally, we've known for a while that it's almost definitely incorrect.

After examining data from fifteen previous studies involving tens of thousands of participants on four continents, researchers arrived at a more comfortable estimate. Depending on your age, the ideal daily step count is likely closer to 6,000.

It is unlikely that doing anything more will lower your risk of passing away too soon.

"So, what we saw was this incremental reduction in risk as steps increase until it levels off," said University of Massachusetts Amherst epidemiologist Amanda Paluch. "And the leveling occurred at different step values for older versus younger adults."

Paluch and her colleagues reported findings from a study in 2021 that included almost 2,000 middle-aged Americans. They discovered taking at least 7,000 steps a day lowered the chances of premature death by 50 to 70 percent.

Data on the health and step counts of 47,471 adults from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America were included in their 2022 meta-analysis. Researchers discovered that the 25 percent of adults with the highest daily step counts had a 40-53 percent lower likelihood of passing away than the 25 percent with the lowest step counts.

This lowered risk peaked for those 60 and above at 6,000 to 8,000 daily steps. Reducing the risk of dying is not one of the benefits of pushing further.

Although younger people might benefit from walking a little bit more, the study did not find any proof that walking more than 8,000-10,000 steps a day would necessarily extend one's life.

The team discovered that volume is more important than step rate.

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Where Did the 10,000 Steps Per Day Recommendation Come From?

The Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company in Japan attempted to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the 1964 Tokyo Olympics 50 years ago by creating a pedometer called "Manpo-kei," which translates to "10,000 steps."

Why 10,000? The report claimed that it was just down to good old-fashioned marketing. It's a pleasant, round figure that seems challenging enough to qualify as a goal but doable sufficient to merit the effort. However, there was no scientific evidence to support the claim, which many just picked up and used for their health goals. Paluch said a single figure is effective when making a promotion to the general public.

"It's such a clear communication tool for public health messaging," Paluch added.

However, determining that number accurately could mean the difference between motivating everyone to exercise regularly and discouraging them from doing so entirely.