Is it really necessary to walk 10,000 steps a day?
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(CNN) --
Put on your walking shoes and don't forget your step counter: Taking up to 10,000 steps a day, but any number of steps, can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and premature death, according to a new study. aid.
The study finds that the health benefits increase with each step, but peak at 10,000 steps, after which the effects start to decline.
Counting steps can be especially important for people who engage in unstructured and unplanned physical activities, such as housework, gardening, and walking the dog.
"In particular, we detected a relationship between accidental steps (those that occur in everyday life) and a lower risk of cancer and heart disease," says study co-author Borja del Pozo Cruz, assistant professor at the Universidad del South of Denmark in Odense, Denmark and Principal Investigator for Health Sciences at the University of Cadiz, Spain.
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"Overall, I think the study is well done and certainly continues to add to the knowledge base that tells us exercise is good for you," said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colo.
He was not involved in the investigation.
"Physical activity is absolutely wonderful," Freeman said.
"And if you combine it with a more plant-based diet, de-stressing, getting enough sleep and connecting with others, that's the magic recipe. It's the fountain of youth, if you will."
Walking also helps prevent dementia
Del Pozo Cruz and his team recently published a similar study in which walking 10,000 steps a day was found to reduce the risk of dementia by 50%.
According to the previous study, the risk was reduced by 25% with only 3,800 steps a day.
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However, walking at a brisk pace of 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes maximized risk reduction, leading to a 62% reduction in dementia risk.
In addition, the 30 minutes of brisk walking did not have to be done in one session, but could be spread out throughout the day.
"Our opinion is that the intensity of the steps is important, beyond the volume," del Pozo Cruz said by email.
The new study, published Monday in the academic journal
JAMA Internal Medicine
, followed 78,500 people aged 40 to 79 from England, Scotland and Wales who wore wrist-based step counters for 24 hours a day over a period of seven days.
Walking this many steps a day can reduce your risk of dementia
After counting the total number of steps each person took each day, the researchers classified them into two categories: less than 40 steps per minute, which is more of a walk, like walking from room to room, and more than 40 steps per minute, or what is called "purposeful" walking.
A third category was created for the most active, that is, those who took the most steps per minute in 30 minutes throughout a day (although, again, those 30 minutes did not have to occur in a single session).
Some seven years later, researchers compared that data to medical records and found that people who took the most steps per minute — in this case, about 80 steps per minute — had the greatest reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and death. premature for any reason.
The researchers found that the association between maximum 30-minute steps and risk reduction depended on the disease studied.
"We observed a 62% reduction in the case of dementia: this figure was almost 80% for mortality and incidence of cardiovascular diseases and much less (approximately 20%) for cancer," del Pozo Cruz said by mail. electronic.
"This may be related to the specific pathways by which physical activity is beneficial," he said.
"It boosts the body overall: You can build more muscle, a bigger heart, and better fitness, all of which are known protective factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as other health problems."
run out of breath
What is the conclusion?
Don't look at the number of steps (unless you really want to), says Freeman.
"Every step counts? Absolutely. And we know that brisk walking every day provides additional benefits in terms of lowering blood pressure and cardiovascular training, among others," said Freeman, who was the founding president of the group of Nutrition and Lifestyle work of the American College of Cardiology.
"But the truth is, the same goal has always applied: challenge yourself at whatever fitness level you're at. Obviously check with your doctor first, but your goal is to be out of breath for 30 minutes every day ".
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What is shortness of breath in relation to exercise?
It's not about panting so hard that you can barely breathe.
Instead, shortness of breath is when you're walking with someone and they're talking to you and you have a little trouble responding, Freeman said.
"Spend 30 minutes getting out of breath at whatever pace you're at, and then keep challenging yourself to be slightly dissatisfied with your current level so you can get better and better," Freeman said.
Being more physically active often goes hand in hand with other healthy habits, such as a better diet, and discourages unhealthy ones, such as smoking, he added.
walkingpremature death
