Introduction to Daily Step Goals
Daunted by the concept of 10,000 steps? Not to worry, a new study finds that 7,000 might be enough for a host of important health benefits.
From cancer to heart disease, the risk of a host of chronic conditions will be improved if you increase your steps beyond 2,000 a day — and the improvements will continue up to 7,000 daily steps, researchers reported Wednesday in The Lancet.
The Benefits of Increasing Daily Steps
The study shows “any increase in steps, even a modest one like 4,000 steps, delivers health benefits compared to very low activity levels,” the study’s lead author, Melody Ding, Ph.D., a professor of public health at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney tells TODAY.com. “When possible, targeting around 7,000 steps per day can substantially reduce the risks for many chronic diseases and adverse health outcomes.” While there may be a benefit to taking more than 7,000 steps, “the improvement rate slows,” Ding adds. “Still, if you’re already very active and consistently hitting 10,000 plus steps, keep it up. There’s no reason to cut back.”
Motivating the Sedentary
Ding and her colleagues hope that the lower goal will help motivate couch potatoes daunted by the 10,000 goal “by emphasizing the incremental progress of increasing steps and by bringing the target a little more within reach," she explains. For the comprehensive new study, the researchers combed through medical journals for studies that had recorded actual measurements of steps participants took. The researchers found 31 studies that were similar enough that the underlying data could be combined in a meta-analysis with 160,000 participants.
Key Findings of the Study
The meta-analysis revealed that, compared with 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 was associated with a:
- 47% lower risk of death from any cause
- 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease
- 37% lower risk of cancer death
- 14% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes
- 38% lower risk of dementia
- 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms
- 28% lower risk of falls
Moreover, Ding says, the “stepping doesn’t need to happen all at once or require intentional exercise. Everyday movements — like getting off the bus a stop early or choosing the stairs over the elevator — count. Small incidental bouts throughout the day add up and contribute to health.”
Expert Insights
Experts hope the new study may get some couch potatoes moving. “I think it will be easier for people to try for 7,000 steps than for 10,000,” Dr. Paul Leis, a cardiologist at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, tells TODAY.com. For some people, “it almost felt like if you weren’t doing 10,000 it wouldn’t matter,” Leis adds. “(But) there’s nothing magical about 10,000 versus 7,000 or 8,000.” The research also showed a big improvement in chronic disease risk when increasing from 2,000 steps a day to 4,000 — in fact, it was more significant than increasing from 7,000 to 10,000.
Conclusion
The new study is probably one of the most definitive answers to the question of how many steps you need, says Keith Diaz, an exercise physiologist and an associate professor of behavioral medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “They pulled every study that measured steps in a definitive way to get some type of informed threshold,” he tells TODAY.com. “The 10,000 steps was a made-up marketing thing.” “There are important messages in there,” Diaz explains, adding that while there is some variability as to the exact number of steps needed to get the maximum benefit for a particular disease, 7,000 would work for most. The study provides a clear message, “and it underscores that any additional step counts,” Diaz says. “The good news is that people who can’t do 10,000 or even 7,000, even 4,000 could lower risk.”
FAQs
Q: What is the ideal number of steps per day to prevent chronic disease?
A: According to the study, 7,000 steps per day can substantially reduce the risks for many chronic diseases and adverse health outcomes.
Q: Do I need to take all 7,000 steps at once?
A: No, the steps can be accumulated throughout the day through incidental movements like getting off the bus a stop early or choosing the stairs over the elevator.
Q: Is there a benefit to taking more than 7,000 steps?
A: While there may be some benefit, the improvement rate slows down after 7,000 steps.
Q: Can taking fewer steps, like 4,000, still have health benefits?
A: Yes, the study found that increasing from 2,000 steps a day to 4,000 can still lower the risk of chronic diseases.
