If you use a fitness tracker, the chances are you have it set to a target of 10,000 steps a day. Where did that target come from? It turns out that it didn’t emerge from decades of research, but from a Japanese company’s 1960s marketing campaign.
Now, in a significant breakthrough for those of us who find this arbitrary step count a challenge, a major new study has found that walking 7,000 steps a day offers the same health benefits as hitting a daily 10,000 step count. People completing 7,000 daily steps had a 47 per cent lower risk of dying prematurely than those managing just 2,000 steps, which was almost identical to the benefit seen at walking 10,000 steps per day.
In the largest and most comprehensive review to date, researchers from the University of Sydney examined the impact that different daily step counts have on the chance of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and developing diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia and depression. Lead author Prof Melody Ding says the findings offer a more achievable benchmark for people who struggle to meet traditional exercise guidelines.
“Aiming for 7,000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn’t been looked at before,” said Ding. “However, for those who cannot yet achieve 7,000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.”
READ MORE
The researchers carried out a systematic review of studies in which participants wore step-counting devices, such as pedometers, accelerometers and fitness trackers, to track their daily step counts. Starting at 2,000 steps, experts compared the health outcomes of people walking more steps a day at 1,000-step increments to see whether there was any difference in the risk of early death or other major diseases. When compared with 2,000 steps a day, researchers found that the risk of dementia dropped by 38 per cent from walking 7,000 steps a day, with only a 7 per cent further reduction at 10,000 steps. And significant health improvements were seen when people increased their average daily steps from 2,000 to between 5,000 and 7,000 steps.
But where did that arbitrary 10,000 number come from?
A pedometer company called Yamasa wanted to cash in on 1964 Tokyo Olympics fever. It launched a device called Manpo-kei – literally “10,000 steps meter”. The Japanese character for 10,000 resembles a walking person, while 10,000 itself is a memorable round number. At that time, there was no robust evidence for whether a target of 10,000 steps made sense, but it was a clever marketing choice that stuck.
[ Japanese walking: How to try this viral fitness trendOpens in new window ]
This latest research paper looked across a broad spectrum – not just whether people died, but the incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia and depression. The results tell an interesting story. Even small increases matter. Jump from 2,000 to 4,000 steps daily and your death risk drops by 36 per cent, a substantial improvement.
The Sydney study found the biggest health benefits occur between zero and 7,000 steps. Beyond that, the benefits level off considerably. Separate research found meaningful benefits starting at just over 2,500 steps a day. For some people, that could be as little as a 20-minute stroll around the block.
Age is a factor too.
If you’re over 60, you hit maximum benefits at 6,000 to 8,000 daily steps. And a 70-year-old achieves a 77 per cent lower heart disease risk by walking 4,500 steps a day.
It’s also reassuring to learn that most of our step count doesn’t come from gym sessions or even structured walking. About 80 per cent happens during everyday activities such as tidying up, walking to the bus and general movement around the house.
The take-home message?
Even short bursts of activity equivalent to 2,500 daily steps will benefit your health.
