Walking up to 10,000 steps a day can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and death, even with a sedentary lifestyle. In a time when a sedentary lifestyle has become the norm, a study from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre confirms that the simple act of walking an average of 10,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of death by 39 percent and cardiovascular disease by 21 percent, regardless of time spent sedentary. This research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, involved over 72,000 individuals and is the first to objectively measure the impact of daily steps on offsetting the dangers of prolonged sitting and inactivity using wrist-worn wearables.
While previous studies have shown the association between higher step counts and decreased risks of cardiovascular disease and death, the study serves as a call to action in a world where sedentary behaviors are prevalent. Lead author Matthew Ahmadi emphasized the importance of increasing daily steps while acknowledging that it is not a substitute for reducing prolonged sitting. The research suggests that all movement matters, and people should aim to up their daily step count to counteract the health consequences of sedentary time.
With the rise of wearable devices that track physical activity, senior author Emmanuel Stamatakis noted that step count is an easily understood measure that can help individuals and health professionals monitor physical activity accurately. The study, using data from the UK Biobank, followed participants with an average age of 61 over seven days, tracking their daily step count and sedentary time. After an average follow-up period of 6.9 years, results indicated that taking 9,000-10,000 steps a day could reduce mortality and cardiovascular disease risks. While the study had limitations and could not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, it underscores the health benefits of increasing daily steps.