The recommendation to walk 10,000 steps a day has been refuted as lacking evidence. However, a new study suggests that great health benefits can be reaped when one hits this target.
Walking 10,000 Steps a Day
While the origins of the walking recommendation are unclear, it has been connected to several marketing strategies in Japan that promote the use of pedometers. It has also been widely criticized as being non-evidence based.
Now, a new study, entitled "Do the associations of daily steps with mortality and incident cardiovascular disease differ by sedentary time levels? A device-based cohort study" suggests that hitting the target could come with great health benefits.
The team looked into over 72,000 participants from the UK Biobank, with a mean age of 61 years. These participants wore an accelerometer on their wrists that tracks their movement. They wore the device for one week, enabling the researchers to quantify their steps each day.
The participants were monitored for nearly seven years. During this period, 6,190 heart-related events took place, and 1,633 individuals died.
After the researchers adjusted for other factors, such as smoking status, diet quality, and other exercise forms, that could affect death or illness risk throughout this period, they measured that the recommended daily steps are between 9,000 and 10,000 steps, as the best results were observed among those who achieved these walking levels.
Walking for this number of steps was associated with a 39% decreased risk of dying in the follow-up period. It was also linked to a 21% lower risk of a heart-related event.
Participants were observed to have a median daily step count of 6,222 steps. As for sedentary time, it was observed that 10.6 hours were spent sedentary.
The study also observed that any steps that were taken beyond the 2,200 daily reference level were linked with lower cardiovascular event risk and mortality. This was irrespective of activity across the rest of the day.
Dale Esliger from Loughborough University explains that the study helps refine science pertaining to guidelines for sedentary time and physical activity. It also apparently supports the recommendation of the 10,000-step walking target, which was initially non-evidence based.
Study Limitations
However, according to Nicolar Berger from Teesside University, using accelerometers worn on the wrists is not always the best way to gauge step count. Nevertheless, Berger acknowledges that the study was quite well-designed with great methods and statistical examinations.
The scientists also did not factor in the number of steps the people took per minute. Eslinger explains the possibility that 6,000 steps done with a higher cadence could yield the same health effects as 10,000 slower steps.
Physical Activity For Health
According to Julie Ward, a senior cardiac nurse from the British Health Foundation, it is known that daily physical activity is crucial for a healthy lifestyle and for the risk reduction of heart conditions and stroke. Ward notes that the hopeful new studies reveal that each step taken towards a 10,000-step target could reduce death and heart disease risk. Even minimal activity levels could reduce stroke risk.
Ward encouraged everyone to remain physically active for circulatory and heart health by engaging in 150 minutes of moderate exercise on a weekly basis. The nurse adds that this activity could be anything that works with one's lifestyle, such as going to the gym, engaging in exercise classes, or having regular walks.
Read also: Weekday vs. Weekend Workouts: Similar Benefits Observed in Both Exercise Cases, Study Reveals
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