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A new study suggests that taking as few as 10,000 steps per day could significantly reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular disease (CVD) for sedentary individuals, regardless of their time spent sitting.
Published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the large population-based study accessed data from 72,174 individuals enrolled in the UK Biobank study. Participants, with an average age of 61 and 58% female, wore accelerometer devices on their wrists for seven days to measure physical activity levels.
Researchers found that every additional step up to around 10,000 steps per day was associated with a reduced risk of death and CVD, regardless of the amount of time spent sedentary. The median daily step count among participants was 6,222 steps, with 2,200 steps per day taken as the reference point for assessing the impact on mortality and CVD events.
Over an average follow-up period of 6.9 years, 1,633 deaths and 6,190 CVD events occurred. After adjusting for other influential factors, researchers determined that taking between 9,000 and 10,000 steps per day lowered the risk of mortality by 39% and incident CVD risk by 21%.
Interestingly, researchers noted that 50% of the benefit was achieved at between 4,000 and 4,500 steps per day.
While the study is observational and cannot establish cause and effect, its large sample size and long follow-up period helped reduce the risk of bias. However, researchers acknowledge the possibility of other unmeasured factors influencing the results.
Despite these limitations, the findings suggest that even modest increases in daily step counts can have significant health benefits for sedentary individuals. The authors emphasize that their results could inform public health messaging and future guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, potentially including specific recommendations on daily stepping.
In conclusion, the study underscores the importance of incorporating physical activity into daily routines to improve overall health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially for those with sedentary lifestyles.
