As of: April 2, 2024, 4:27 p.m
By: Laura Knops
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10,000 steps a day is healthy - but not a must. You can counteract sitting for long periods of time with less exercise.
Those who exercise enough live healthier lives. Every adult should therefore walk at least 10,000 steps every day - at least that is a general assumption. Scientists have been doubting this number for a long time. After all, the approach does not take into account how different lifestyles and individual predispositions affect the body. However, people who spend a lot of time sitting in their everyday lives and at work benefit from regular walks. How many steps you should take every day and how you can counteract the harmful effects of sitting. The results were
published in the
British Journal of Sports Medicine .
Harmful sitting? Just a few steps are enough
How many steps are really necessary to stay healthy depends primarily on your lifestyle. © Dreamstime/Imago
Those who sit a lot and move little have a higher chance of developing cardiovascular diseases, cancer or diabetes. A “sedentary” lifestyle is therefore generally associated with a shorter life expectancy, as US scientists were able to show in a meta-analysis. An international team of researchers has now investigated whether people who sit a lot can counteract the harmful effects with regular walks.
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As part of the study, the researchers examined data from a total of 72,174 test subjects, which were collected as part of a British long-term study. The British biobank was set up back in 2006 and has tracked participants' health data for at least 30 years. For the current study, subjects wore an accelerometer on their wrist for seven days to assess their physical activity. Using this data, the scientists were able to understand how many steps the participants took each day and how much time they typically spent sitting.
Study shows: 10,000 steps promote health - but are not a must
The result: The more steps the participants took daily, regardless of how sedentary they generally were, the lower their risk of cardiovascular disease was. Although those with desk jobs should reduce their sedentary activity, they can counteract the negative effects of sitting with exercise. According to scientists, the health consequences of sedentary work can be offset by increasing the daily number of steps.
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The average time they spent sitting was 10.6 hours per day, so those who spent more time sitting were classified as “highly sedentary,” while those with fewer hours were classified as “low-sedentary.” The team found that between 9,000 and 10,000 steps per day is optimal to counteract a sedentary lifestyle. This number also appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 21 percent and the risk of death by 39 percent. A study from Poland also delivered similar results: According to the researchers, around 4,000 steps a day are enough to reduce the general risk of death.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.