Research Reveals 2,000-4,000 Steps A Day Can Reduce Death Risk

Illustration. (Unsplash/Kitera Dent)

JAKARTA - Walking between 2,000 and 4,000 steps a day turns out to have health benefits, including to reduce the risk of death due to any cause, according to recent research results.

This is good news for those who are bound to work behind a table for hours, with previous guidelines generally encouraging individuals to take 10,000 steps a day to maintain health.

Recent research results show that walking an average of 2,337 steps a day can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, walking an average of 3,967 steps a day begins to reduce the risk of death due to any cause.

Professor Maciej Banach of the University of Medicine Lodz, Poland and study researchers published in the 'European Journal of Preventive Cardiology' said its benefits are growing the further you go and emphasize, the more you walk, the better it will be.

"Our analysis shows it only takes 4,000 steps a day to significantly reduce deaths from any cause, and even fewer to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease," said Prof Banach, quoted by The National News Oct. 13.

According to research findings, an additional 1,000 steps a day are associated with a decrease in the risk of death from any cause by 15 percent. Meanwhile, an additional 500 steps a day are associated with a 7 percent decrease in mortality from cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels.

"The participants of this study were separated into four different groups, known as 'quarties'," explained Prof. Banach.

"We use groups with a minimum average number of steps (3,967 for analysis concerning deaths from all causes) as basic or reference quartiles. This allows us to compare and assess the health benefits observed in the other three groups, which go a step further," he explained.

The lack of physical activity is now considered the fourth largest cause of death, with more than 3.2 million deaths per year globally.

These findings serve as a reminder that moderate increases in the number of daily steps can provide great health benefits.

"By considering various forms of step measurements in recent years (pedometers, accelerometers, smartwatches), [walking] may be the most common form to measure the regularity and intensity of physical activity," explained Prof Banach.

Furthermore, the study also found that these benefits were not limited by age, with a 42 percent reduction in risk seen in those aged 60 years or older running between 6,000 and 10,000 steps a day.

Prof Banach said the benefits were the same for men and women, wherever they lived.

The principle of more and more you walk, the better' applies to both young and elderly adults. But in people aged 60 years or older, the reduced risk of death is smaller than in younger people.

This, said Prof Banach, shows that it is "important, if possible, to start from an early exercise regularly".

"The more steps you take, the better the impact on your health, and every step increase of 500-1000 steps/day can be attributed to a significant reduction in the death rate," he explained.

One of the most interesting aspects of this study is that researchers have found no limit on the benefits of walking for health.

Those who walk as many as 20,000 steps a day continue to experience an increase in health benefits.